Hidden Underneath
by Awful Nightmare
Summary: They live under the same roof, but still won't get along! It's hard to believe but, that's how things work between them. To make things really work for them, she'll have to get pregnant and he'll have to offer her his hand in marriage! But how on earth is that gonna happen?
1. I'm NOT Rejected!

**Having everything around, sometimes we run after nothing, not recognizing that we've got the most precious thing at the tip of our fingernails.**

**I'm NOT Rejected!**

"Mikan-chan… stop crying… It's all over now…"

I could hear Nonoko's soothing voice. But it could heal nothing this time. I'd been crying for nearly 2 hours now. I couldn't even attend to the next class. I knew I was gonna be killed by Jinno sensei the next day.

"Let that idiot cry Nonoko. That'll help kill the germs inside her stupid brain." I heard Hotaru saying. Oh she was always like that. No mercy!

Sometimes I wondered why I ever called her my best friend!

I raised my head to respond to that icy statement of my so-called best friend.

"Hotaru you meanie! I'm not in a state to hear such things! I feel like I've lost everything! Oh god! You may kill me now!"

Saying that, I cried even harder. Everyone inside the canteen was staring at me. I was resting my face on my palms, covering my teary eyes, yet I could say that I was being the model of the day.

Why was I crying? No one asked that question as the answer had already been the head line of the school magazine!

"Mikan Sakura, the most idiotic girl in the City high school is rejected by the oh-so-handsome Kaname senpai, the dream prince of every single girl inside boundaries of the school!"

Now you know that. Yes. I was rejected. _"No I'm NOT!"_ I could hear my heart screaming out loud. That was the first time I ever tried for a guy_. "First attempts are not always succeeded right? I can try again! Still there's a chance for me!" _My mind told me. Clearly, I was trying to heal my heart. "But Oh! He did reject me! How could it happen! Am I that bad? Oh kill me kami!" I cried out loud! For heaven's sake I had forgotten where I was. Before long, I felt the soft touch of Hotaru's arm on my head.

"You baka! Shut it right now! Everyone knows what happened to you. You don't have to explain it loudly!" Hotaru said. Her cold eyes sent an electric shock though my spine.

In response, I looked at her with my puffy eyes.

"I can't forget him Hotaru. You know I loved him from the very first year of our school life! Oh how could I forget that love?"

I was being over agitated again. As I said above, I was dreaming about him since my childhood. It's been almost 9 years since I started to follow him around. He was being my Mr. Perfect. But I wasn't his Miss Perfect! I wished I had been. Hotaru didn't answer. I knew she won't. After being stopped for a moment, I continued to cry again.

"See who's crying, girls!" I could hear someone saying. I knew who that was. _"Permy you evil witch!" _I thought. I knew she'd never miss this situation!

"Oh poor Mikan Sakura! I never thought your stupid brain would get this much worse! I think you need help of a Psychiatrist!" Sumire said, looking directly into my eyes. Her eyes were gleaming with happiness. Of course she should be happy as the head of the Kaname senpai's fan club. I had nothing to say in response. She was right. I should have known my level. I should have known my 'low' level compared to Kaname senpai. Poor me.

All the members of the 'Kaname-senpai' fan club were laughing at me. And I was crying harder and harder. Only my friends pitied me. Of course there were not much friends of mine. Only a few. How tragic my life was!

After a while, the bell rang to end up the most tragic day of my whole school life! I thanked god for ending it up that sooner! Everyone who had been gathered around me left the scene, leaving me, Hotaru, Nonoko and Anna alone.

"Now let's leave Mikan chan… You'll feel better when you are at home." Anna said in a soft voice as she sat beside me, putting her hand around my shoulders.

"Yes Mikan chan. Let's go home now. Kaname senpai was so stupid to turn you down. You're such a nice girl!" Nonoko added, much to my relief. Hearing this, I looked at her, smiling faintly.

Hotaru said nothing. She was busy with her schoolbag.

At last I stopped crying and wiped my tears. My uniform was dripping wet, soaked in tears. I had never cried that much before. With Anna's help, I stood up and got ready to leave. I was really happy to leave that tragic school! I wished I could leave it for good!

At the gates, I saw Kaname senpai getting in to his brand new car. Seeing him, I couldn't move a step forward! I froze on the spot as he glanced at me through the shutter. Then he started the car and drove hastily away from the school. My eyes started to blot again.

"You look like a stupid cartoon character! Quit it and let's move!" Hotaru said. Dragging me to her mom's car. Hotaru and I lived in the same neighborhood. Her house was just a few steps away from mine. Talking about my house, I got to reveal some important details.

I'll start like this. I'm Mikan Sakura and I'm 19 years old. As both of my parents have passed away, I live in my mom's best friend's house since I was an infant. She has being my mother for 19 years and she loves me just like her own child. I call her 'mom' with no difference. Of course she has a child of her own. I'll talk about that person later!

Now let's go back to the story. I and Hotaru were inside the car, going home without sharing a word. It was really unlike me. Mrs. Imai must have been so amazed by my never-shown serious attitude. I could say that by the next thing she asked from us.

"What has happened to you two? Is someone dead or something?"

Mrs. Imai asked while taking the turn to our neighborhood. Yet I kept silence while Hotaru opened her mouth to reply.

"Of course momma. Mikan's dead." Hotaru answered emotionlessly.

"What? Why's that? What happened Mikan chan? I can see something isn't right." Mrs. Imai asked, concerned.

Then that was my time to answer. I forcefully gathered some words. "Oh N-nothing M-Mrs. I-Imai… I just feel bad b-be-because… because my head's aching like hell!" At last I found a nice answer! Thank god! I thought Hotaru would jump into the middle but she didn't do so, much to my relief.

With that Mrs. Imai drove the car inside the garage and stopped, asking me to get some medicine before it got worse. We got off from the car and as soon as Mrs. Imai had vanished to the house, I grabbed Hotaru's hand and looked at her with pleading eyes. She knew what I was gonna say.

She answered before I open my mouth.

"Yeah yeah. I won't tell this to him" She said as she took her hand from my grip. Finally I felt at ease! I looked at her with a grateful smile and stepped away, not saying a word. So unlike me.

* * *

**So people! Glad to meet you back! **** I was away for a long time after ending up my 1****st**** fanfiction 'A Victorian era Love'. Needless to say. I was a bit busy with my studies and all. You see…**** But as I promised I'm back with another heart-warming story! Reading this chapter you'll misunderstand this is not a Natsume-Mikan Story but don't panic! This definitely is a N/M story 'cause I won't ever write something else! However, this is a bit different! You'll see why!**

**Continue reading my friends!**

**And oh pity me for my grammatical errors!**

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	2. Totally sick Black Cat!

**Totally sick Black Cat!**

"_Yeah yeah. I won't tell this to him" She said as she took her hand from my grip. Finally I felt at ease! I looked at her with a grateful smile and stepped away, not saying a word. So unlike me. _

I was walking aimlessly on the lane that lead to my house. I was totally lost inside my mind. My eyes were dull and had a dreamy look. I opened the gates dreamily not knowing that I was actually moving forward.

"Rejected huh"

I could hear his hoarse voice clearly even through my dreamy state.

"How could I ever hide something from him? Ohhhhh Kamiiii!" My mind screamed out. He always got to know everything even before I took a breath! Having heard his voice, my eyes lost their dreamy look and I turned to face that sly black cat! Of course he was sleeping under his favorite sakura tree, covering his face with his favorite comic book!

"Natsume! I AM NOT REJECTED!" I shouted my lungs out as he removed the book from his face, uncovering his fiery crimson eyes.

"Don't lie little girl. I told you. You're an open book to me." He said coolly. His statements were always short. And of course so 'clear'. Much to my dismay. I wanted to ignore his fiery gaze but it was piercing through my eyes as they had always done. I knew he had been waiting to throw his scornful smirk at me. Oh kami! That is the worst thing any heartbroken person could ever see!

Of course he did that. He smirked at me in the best way he could!

"You deserve that anyways." He said, covering his face again with his book. I thanked god for making him do so. I never wanted to see that stupid smirk any longer! However, hearing his scornful remark, my depression doubled. Of course he always made me upset. I wished his school hours had been much longer than mine.

Oh! I almost forgot! Even with disgust, I got to introduce this character to you. That is my mom's only son, Natsume Hyuuga. Though we were brought up together, we could never live in the same world! He was clearly not my type! He was such a bully! A woman hater! Oh I don't have words left to explain who he was! Simply he was the most awful guy in the whole world! I couldn't remember a single nice word he had told me. I had being there with him in that house for almost all my life, but nothing beautiful happened between us! I mean NOT a single THING!

Don't misunderstand me anyways. I always thanked my mom for making him go to a different school far away from my one! So I was at liberty at least in my school hours! However, he'd drive home as soon as the bell rang (maybe even before that) and start to make me erupt like a volcano! And of course, he was a year older than me.

Now back to the scene!

With my head bent down, I started to walk towards the door. Tears were still dangling in my eyes. I opened it lightly, not making a heavy sound as I had done before. As I stepped inside, mom came out from nowhere dressed up to leave to the hospital. Seeing me, she stopped in the midway and looked at me amazed.

"Oh Mikan darling… I didn't hear a bang today! You really came in from the door right?" Mom asked, smiling. Her smile always healed my heart. Mrs. Kaoru Hyuuga, Natsume's mother was the most beautiful women in the neighborhood, or maybe in the whole world! Natsume had the same features but I don't wanna talk about him! Grrr!

Wait! I had to answer her!

"Umm… Yeah really funny momma… You won't be home tonight?" I asked. My voice was faintish. Mom must have recognized that.

"Yeah baby… It's my night shift tonight." She said, coming closer to me. Then she placed her palm on my forehead, checking whether I had caught a fever.

"Darling… You look faintish. Is everything alright Mikan?" Mom asked, worried. She always cared about me just like an infant. That was why Natsume called me 'Mom's idiotic doll'. Ohhhhh that guy!

"Nothing momma… You'd better leave now… You'll be late…"

I answered. Hearing that, she patted my head and walked to the door hurriedly, taking the keys from the handbag. Then she opened the door and looked in Natsume's direction.

"Darling… Mikan's not feeling well today. Help her take some medicine. Look inside my locker. And oh! Serve the dinner tonight! Everything is inside the freezer. Heat them up a little. Don't let her do anything… Okay my boy?" She shouted out loud. Even Hotaru might have heard that.

"Hn"

That was Natsume's usual reply.

"How annoying these women are!" I could hear him mumble.

I heard her starting the engine. After a few seconds, she drove away from the house, leaving me and Natsume alone. Wait! What did I say?

"Leaving me and you alone." I felt his breath tickling my face. Of course, he was standing in front of me, leaning towards my face.

"Natsume you baka! I'll call momma if you try to hurt me tonight! I'm sick! Can't you see!" I said in a crying tone. Hearing this, Natsume smirked.

"You're LOVE sick." He said, dragging me by my hair though the passage. I was struggling to break free when he stopped near mom's locker. Then he pulled open it and took out some medicine.

"Here!" He said, throwing them at my face, looking directly into my eyes. That was when I saw that his eyes had lost its usual gleam. Then he loosened the grip on my hair and stepped away without a word.

Only then I could realize that it wasn't only me who was acting different that day.

* * *

**So people my 2****nd**** chapter ends like this! How was it? I'm sorry I made it too short! But look people! This story is just so different from the others right? Natsume and Mikan are living inside the same house! Can you believe that! So many beautiful scenes to come people! Wait with patience! And oh! This is my first time writing a story in Mikan's POV. Actually it's being a nice experience to me. I love to see things in the way Mikan sees them. I think you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Wish me Luck my friends! **

**Read on!**


	3. This isn't the 1st night!

**This isn't the 1****st**** night we spend together!**

"_Here!" He said, throwing them at my face, looking directly into my eyes. That was when I saw that his eyes had lost its usual gleam. Then he loosened the grip on my hair and stepped away without a word. _

_Only then I could realize that it wasn't only me who was acting different that day._

After recovering from the shock he had given me, I started to walk in the direction of my room, passing Natsume who was currently sleeping on his favorite couch. Seeing his eyes had been tightly closed, I stopped in the midway just to stick my tongue at him. But alas! Suddenly I felt a movement on the couch. He opened his eyes just to see a thunderstruck Mikan Sakura with her tongue stuck out!

I knew that it was gonna be the last time I saw this world. I closed my eyes, preparing myself to die in the next moment. _'Good bye Mikan… Be happy with the dead! Your time on earth has ended…' _I could hear my inner voice chanting.

3

2

1

0.85

0.75

My heart was counting until…

"Stuff your tongue back into your mouth."

I heard him saying. Having heard that, I knew I was still alive! He hadn't killed me! I thanked god for not letting him kill me! I opened my eyes just to see a comfortably sleeping Natsume. He was acting like nothing had happened. _'How amazing!'_ I thought. He was definitely acting different that day.

With a more confused mind, I started walking again. As I opened my door, I let out a sigh, thinking of everything that had happened throughout the day. _'Worst day EVER!' _I thought as I threw myself on my bed. "Mikan Sakura… you shouldn't do anything you haven't done before! Falling in love is definitely not for you!" I shouted out loud, depressed. As I closed my eyes, everything flashed through my mind. The way he rejected me, the way he looked at me at the gates. How tragic! How tragic my life was!

I could feel my vision getting blotted again.

After a minute or so, I felt my phone vibrating. I answered to it dreamily, not knowing who the caller was.

"Hel—" I was cut off in the midway.

"Hello! You're Mikan right? Natsume-kun's cute little younger sister! Oh my… It's really nice to hear your voice! Is Natsume-kun at home right now? Oh please tell him that I love him! Oh please! Please! Pleeeease! Oh I almost forgot! I'm Luna! Tell him that I've fallen head over heels for him! Oh Natsume-kun! I wan—" That was all I could bear! I ended up the conversation before she could complete her sentence. It happened always just the same way I mentioned above.

Natsume's stupid fan club members always tried to use me as their messenger. Once they tried to bribe me by giving me a huge pack of fluff-puffs. That was a nice trick, but I never did grant their wish! However, I received all the gifts no matter what. Wicked me!

Yet I still couldn't imagine how they managed to find my phone number.

"I am not his sister!" I shouted my lungs out as I put down my phone.

"Are you nuts?" I could hear his voice again. This time inside my ROOM!?

Yes. He was standing before my bed. This time annoyed to death.

"N—Natsume! What the heck are you doing here!"

I asked furiously.

"You hadn't locked your door." He answered emotionlessly.

"What? Does that mean I invited you to my room? What if I were naked! Answer me you stupid bastard coconut shell!"

I was overreacting. He knew I yelled for nothing. Besides, that wasn't the first time he had ever entered my room.

Ignoring my words, he stepped forward and jumped up onto my couch and started having a peaceful nap just like he'd always do.

"Oh! How pathetic!" I yelled once again. That wasn't the first time he did that anyways. Hearing my cursing words, he opened his mouth to curse me back.

"Why shout little girl. You couldn't sleep without me till you were 16. Remember? Huh. How funny you looked. Just like a flattened flatworm." Said Natsume. Still with his eyes closed. His lips forming a smirk.

And that! That sounded indeed a curse!

"Oh you IDIOTIC BASTARD!" I shouted out loud. I was shivering by then. I could hear the birds fly away from their nests.

His statement was partially true though. Not that FLATWORM part!

When I was actually a little girl, I couldn't bear the loneliness. Not even for a moment. When momma was out for her night shift, it was Natsume who slept with me. I would climb up to his bed and snuggle into him, tightly closing my eyes. I always wondered why he didn't threw me away. Sometimes he would pat my head especially when it was thundering out there. That was the only nice thing he had done to me in his whole lifetime. How strange. However, in the morning he would start to bully me again. Oh god. Especially saying that I was a 'Flatworm'.

He never took my words into his ears.

Same thing happened this time as well.

He started snoring. Just to show that I was ignored in the scene.

'_Natsume no baka!' _I thought. This happened always. He won. I lost.

Of course,

I would always lose.

Not extending the conversation, I took my towel and crept into the bathroom. I hadn't even changed my school uniform. Pathetic me.

Before I could step inside, Natsume's hoarse voice started to mumble something.

"Better wash your swollen face before everything. It gives me creeps more than it did before." He said, not looking at me.

I stopped to listen to it and just gave out a sigh. I could say no more.

As I closed the door I saw my reflection from the mirror. How tragic I looked like! Natsume was right. It wasn't me. For the first time I wondered why I cried so hard for someone like Kaname. I had been so stupid. _'Mikan you're a super baka girl!' _I hit my head inside my mind.

I took a brief wash and stepped out, wrapped in my towel. Natsume wasn't there for heaven's sake. If he had been there, he'd have smirked at me and said that I was still a flatworm.

I felt refreshed after the bath. Just like a new born baby. As if all my bad memories had been washed away.

It was about 6.00pm then. I put on my so called striped shirt and mini shorts and stepped outside the room, just to see what Natsume was planning to do tonight to annoy me.

I looked for him in the living room and in his so-called dark room but no avail! He wasn't anywhere to be found!

My heart started to beat fast. How could I stay without him! Alone!

"_NO WAY!" _I could hear my heart scream!

"Ruka-Pyon didn't come here right? Did they leave before I came out from the bathroom?" I asked myself, scared to death by then.

I couldn't even think of staying alone at night! Thanks to the horror stories he used to tell me during the nights we spent together.

I took out my cell phone immediately and dialed Natsume's number.

'He's not taking it! He's not taking ittt!" I cried as no one answered to my phone call.

"Oh you hentaiii! You left me in the midnight!" I screamed, tears forming in my eyes.

"How am I gonna stay without you..." I sniffled heavily as I sat on the couch. I was crying by then. My head bent down.

"Huh. And how could I spend the night without you"

I heard him saying. _'Am I hearing things?' _I asked from my mind.

To confirm things out, I raised my head, astonished. No! He was really there! Standing in front of me. As my eyes stopped inside his crimson eyes, I felt my lips forming a stupid grin. Poor me.

"I'm here for you. Don't cry idiot." Natsume said. Wait! He wasn't smirking! He was

Smiling?

'_NO WAY! He can't be!' _I answered to my own question.

The arrogant Natsume Hyuuga was smiling? No!

That should've been something else.

Thinking of that, my lips formed a capital 'O'.

"Quit it." I heard out of the blue. I immediately put an end to my weird emotions. After a few minutes, I remembered the main point.

"Natsume you baka! You stupid pumpkin-head! You pervert! You-" I couldn't complete my curse. He stopped me in the midway.

"Then I'll leave." He said as my foggy sky formed a rain again.

"Natsume… I want you…" My lips spoke. I couldn't hold them from saying that.

* * *

**So my friends! Here's the real 3****rd**** chapter! The extended edition! :D**

**How was it?**

**Let me know… Please leave a review! **

**This's becoming quite interesting right?**

**I personally love this story! :) **

**You know what? It's so hard to deal with a lover who's not so open. You won't be able to figure out if he's actually in love with you or not. That's because their love isn't written or spoken. But I see that as the real "guy love". Not all the guys are love birds. **

**Some prefer to stay without speaking of their love, yet caring for you. That Love is so beautiful yet hard to understand. So deep.**

**Heheee Don't think much about that. :D**

**Love you all…**

**Thanks for your reviews people! **

**-Awful nightmare-**


	4. Romeo & Juliette?

**Romeo and Juliette**

"_Then I'll leave." He said as my foggy sky formed a rain again._

"_Natsume… I want you…" My lips spoke. I couldn't hold them from saying that. _

Hearing what had just dropped from my mouth, I saw his eyes widening as if he had seen a ghost. After a few seconds, I felt his breath near my left ear. Wait! He must have misunderstood what I had said. He was sitting on the couch beside me, getting ready for something nasty! Feeling that, I took my head away and opened my mouth to save my life!

"Hey! Wait! Wait right there! What the heck do you think you're doing!" I yelled as usual. He was always waiting for a chance! That pervert!

"I'm doing what you want me to do." He answered, leaning on to my face, looking directly at my eyes. _'What the! He hasn't changed a bit!' _I thought, as I looked away. His gaze was disturbing. His crimson eyes could kill a woman without any pain. _'Oh how charming they are.' _I thought, for the very first time in my whole life. Many girls around the globe had died for them. I was having that pair of eyes inside my house, but I never had seen the beauty of them till now. They were amazing, I had to admit. '_What a girl you're Mikan Sakura. You are running after a blonde prince, keeping the King of Spades at home.' _I remembered what Sumire had told me once at school. I was thunderstruck before Natsume for the first time in my whole life. His angelic appearance had started to mess around with my feelings. _'What! Wait! I should quit thinking of these! What the hell is wrong with me?' _I asked from myself as I hit my head with my fist. Natsume must have thought I was going mad.

"You're falling for me." He said, smirking, nearing me some more. His breath was tickling on my lips.

Wait!

'_Now that makes sense! He's gonna take me as a bite! I won't let that happen!' _I thought as I drifted from my dreamy state.

"Natsume! Dream on!" I said out in a babyish tone and stood up, leaving him on the couch alone. If I had stayed there another minute, he could have seen the blush I had on my face. I felt so embarrassed, for the first time inside this house.

I didn't even turn back to see what Natsume's expression was. I was being a typical woman.

I started to step towards the kitchen. That was the best place to hide my oh-so-red face. I never thought the idea of falling in love with Natsume would make me blush to this extent.

'Natsume won't see me now! He won't ever step inside the kitchen. Ha-ha' I was speaking alone until -

"Move aside. You're to rest today." A well-known hoarse voice called out.

'_Excuse me? What did I just hear?' _I thought as I turned only to see that raven haired guy towering me from behind. His gleaming crimson eyes pointed on mine.

"Na-Natsume?" I asked, stammering. My eyes opened wide as he stepped passing me to the freezer and took out the frozen dinner for two.

'_Whoa! What's he gonna do? Make our dinner? No way!" _ I felt dizzy.

"Why are you overacting? This isn't a scene of a stage drama." He said coolly as I gave out my stupid grin for the second time for the day.

"Leave. Your stupid grin annoys me." I heard Natsume saying. Typical! Duh. I stepped out like a rabbit.

"What's gotten in to him?" I started mumbling as I sat up, waiting for dinner.

After a few minutes, Natsume came out from the kitchen, carrying two plates of heated food. I was watching with my widened eyes as he put my plate on the table, in front of my wide opened mouth.

"Why? Are you nuts? Eat!" He said with a slight anger. But his eyes were gleaming as if they were smiling with me.

'_Wait! Something must have gone wrong with me! This is not the first time I see him!'_ I said to my mind. I was acing strange.

"Food poisoning?" He asked as he started having the dinner. Not looking at me.

"W-what did you say?" I asked, not understanding a word.

"What did you have for your lunch?" Natsume asked as if he were so damn serious.

"What kind of a question is that?" I asked him back, astonished not understanding what he was coming for.

"You're acting strange. That's why." He answered, busy with his supper. That was when I caught up with what he meant.

"Ooh… That…" I answered while smiling. He was actually making me smile. I felt like all my gloom had blown away.

"Hn" He answered as he looked at my smiling face. He stopped eating for a second and then started again.

After our peaceful supper, both of us silently walked towards our rooms. As I was stepping, something hit my mind suddenly. With that, I turned and ran up upstairs just to find Natsume inside his room.

Knocking on the door had never been my style. Nor was his. So I bang opened the door and stepped inside, only to see a topless Natsume with a sleepy face.

"Why?" He asked as I stepped forward, smiling. Silence was making a beautiful atmosphere for what I was gonna do next. As moved closer to him, jumped forward and kissed his left cheek, smiling. I didn't know why I did something like that. I wasn't being myself. Yet I was happy.

I saw Natsume's eyes widening in surprise.

"Natsume… Thank you…" That was all I could say.

After taking another glimpse of his angelic face, I turned to leave. I was really happy. I was happy about what I had done.

I was happy about having him around me.

* * *

As I stepped inside my room, I felt extremely at ease. Natsume had changed my day. I could remember how I started that day. With tears in my eyes and fears to lose someone who had never made me smile. But Natsume changed everything. He was always like that.

He would come out when I needed him so badly. Then again he would return to his 'so cold' posture again. That was Natsume. That was indeed him. He always confused me.

As I was laying on the bed that night, I remembered something that had happened a few years ago. When I was sixteen. Natsume was 17 by then.

I was playing around with Hotaru. I used to go to the park nearby with Hotaru just to talk, walk and to get hit by Hotaru's so-called inventions. It was a Sunday morning as I could remember. Many people were there in the park. But we didn't care. Hotaru was overdosed with my crazy talking so that she told me that she wanted to go to the washroom. She asked me to wait there and disappeared into the crowd. I sat on a bench near me and started watching the crowd as I had nothing else to do. Before long I felt a presence next to me. So that I turned my head to see what was there. What I saw was a group of four guys, staring at me, laughing wickedly. I knew something bad was gonna happen. I stood up to leave as someone grabbed by my hair. And that, hurt me!

"Where're you going honey?" A guy called out, mockingly. I tried to break free but no chance.

"Look Serio! Your chick's got scared!" another spoke out. Hearing that, I turned my head to see the guy who was grabbing my hair. I knew that name. Natsume had told me of him. _'Serio? That bastard's here?' _

I thought as I met his eyes. His raven hair and ghostly eyes caused goose bumps on my skin.

"W-why a-are y-you after me?" I asked, wanting to know why that was happening to me. Hearing that, he laughed more. His fellows followed to suit.

"The answer is so simple." He replied with a smirk, still holding my hair.

"That's not an answer!" I yelled. "Let go off me you idiot!" I added as he tightened his grip.

"What do you want with me?" I asked again, sighing painfully. He was hurting me.

"You'll know." He answered as his friends started laughing wickedly.

Then he grabbed me to a darker place and started to rip my clothes and hurt me. I couldn't yell as one of them had clamped my mouth with a piece of cloth.

"See my friends… I'm hurting Natsume Hyuuga!" Serio shouted out lout as he removed my shirt and took it in his hand. Hopefully, I was wearing a skinny under it. I was scared to death by then. After he had taken away my shirt, he threw me away like a piece of paper and left the scene with his friends.

"This is enough to give him a heart attack." Said Serio, pointing at my shirt which he was carrying.

After they had left, I walked to where I had been before that horrible incident, without my shirt. Hotaru sat there, licking an ice-cream, not knowing anything.

I went to her, weeping, as if I had lost everything. Before I open my mouth to call her, she saw me with bruises all over my body.

"What the hell did happen?" She asked. Her face got darker and darker. Seeing my state, she stood up at once and ran over to me.

Then she covered me with her jacket immediately and hugged me to take away my fear.

"Ho-Hotaruuu…" I cried so hard.

"They came… they came to hurt me…" I was sobbing as Hotaru made me sit on the bench.

"Who came?" She asked, terror was clearly shown in her eyes.

"Th-that Se-Serio… He took my shirt…" I mumbled as tears were oozing down from my eyes. Hearing that name, Hotaru's expression of fear changed into astonishment.

"Serio? Why would he come to torture you? You guys don't have connections right?" Hotaru asked. She knew Serio well. She knew all the people around the world. Especially the students of Natsume's high school.

"He- he said he wanted to hurt Natsume…" I said while sighing in pain.

"Ahh… now that makes sense." Hotaru said. It was like she had figured things out.

"Why would you say so Hotaru? If he wanted to hurt Natsume, why would he hurt me?" I asked surprised.

"You're such an idiot Mikan! If someone wanna hurt Romeo, the best way is to hurt Juliette instead." She said as she hit my already bruised head.

That day I couldn't understand that. But today I can.

After all we walked to my house together and Hotaru explained the whole story to momma. Momma was so upset and she treated all my bruises. When Natsume arrived home that day I was laying on the couch covered with plasters. As soon as he got to know what had happened, he left the house even without having the dinner and I didn't know when he returned home.

The next day I got to hear that Serio and three of his fellow mates had been hospitalized for having severe injuries from a fight last night.

I remember what Hotaru said after telling me of those.

"**I knew Romeo would take revenge."**

* * *

**Hi my friends! So this is my 4****th**** chapter! How was it? Was it boring? :(**

**Do you see something better in this story? Or is it just flat? :(**

**When writing this story, I feel like I'm inside these scenes. I feel like I am Mikan. Do you feel the same? :) **

**Anyways, I want you to feel the same!**

**This is still the beginning! More to come!**

**Don't lose hope!**

**And yeah umm one of my friends had asked me to change this to Natsume's POV. I'd love to! But if I do so… there won't be a 'Hidden Love' right? Every feeling of Natsume would be out in the open.**

**That's the problem! :( I'm sorry darling… Don't be sad! I'm gonna make it more and more interesting in the future!**

**:D**

**Love you all!**

**-Awful nightmare-**


	5. The night isn't over yet?

**The night isn't over yet!?**

I was lying in my bed, still thinking nonsense about Natsume, Kaname and all the things that troubled me at the moment. I was so busy with my thoughts that I didn't even realize that it was already midnight and I was still awake. If it weren't for our big old grandfather clock I would've spent the whole night in that dreamy state like a crazy birdie in a coma. It was so dark in my room and I felt my throat running dry as soon as I realized that I was alone in the dark in the midnight. I never had liked the idea of being awake in the midnight ALONE!

I sat up in my bed and turned the bedside lamp on. Then wiped my eyes to clear my sight and checked my phone: something I always did when I felt scared. No messages. "_Like always! Duh!_" I said to myself as I found my way to the kitchen through its flashlight. There were times when I had wished I had someone to text to, especially when I was feeling terrified and alone. "_But who'd text you back in the midnight by the_ _way!_" I laughed at my thoughts in that pitch black dark.

Within two or three small minutes, I was inside the kitchen, yawning and rubbing my eyes. I put my phone on the small kitchen table and reached for the freezer in the dark. I opened it and took out a water bottle and slammed the door making a big bad noise. If mom had been there at home that night she would've jumped off her bed and called the police at once.

I emptied half of the bottle, standing, my back turned to the kitchen table. I felt really exhausted, like I'd been running around my bed all night. My knees were hurting like hell so that I took some steps backward and sat down on one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

It felt different. The chair felt different! It was like the cushion had split from the middle in to two. But I didn't care. I was so tired spending a great half of the night awake. I was half asleep, you could say.

So the chair didn't matter till…

….its hands reached for me and grabbed me by my waist!

"W-WHAT THE! OHHHHHH! Help me God!" I screamed like crazy, till I was certain that Natsume would've heard me well. I wanted him to come at once but I started losing hope when I didn't hear anyone stepping down the stairs. Meanwhile the chair was tightening its grip on me and now it won't let me stand up. I wiggled like a fish on the sand and tried to slap away the chair's hands.

"LET ME GO YOU DAMN CHAIR! LET ME GOOO!" I winced in pain; it wasn't like I was actually in pain though. Twisting and chirping, finally I managed to reach out for my phone and dial my mom's number. It was in the speed dial so it wasn't really a game to take the call.

The chair hadn't spoken a word till I took my phone. It was only when I dialed my mom, I could hear my haunted chair's voice.

"What do you think you're doing little bird?" The chair spoke.

I went speechless!

My tears stop in the midway and my fears were replaced by a shot of anger. I felt my Mr. Chair giggling under his breath.

It took me a while to recharge my batteries to shout at him.

"YOU IDIOTIC BOMBHEAD!" I shouted out loud as I slapped his arms away and stood up. He was laughing so loudly by now: for once I thought he'd run out of his breath.

"Natsume you really are a poor, disgusting hentaiii!" I wasn't yet done cursing him. He stood up from the chair, still laughing like a psychopath and closed the gap between us.

"Why? What did I do? It was you who sat on my lap!" He said coming closer and leaning on to my face. "You are heavier than I had imagined! Fat bird!" He added as he took my chin between his fingers.

And at that comment, my fury reached its peak! It was just a few hours earlier I had thought he was becoming nicer. But now it seemed he had gone back to how he had used to be.

"What did you just call me?" I asked as he let out a smirk. I could bear anything but not that! If there was a word I hated to hear the most, it was "FAT"! I could kick his ass right then. I gave him the best death glare I could ever give to anyone and hoped he would've seen it in that darkness.

"A stupid fat bird! Why?" He asked, his body was nearly touching mine. If it weren't for the freezer trapping me in his grip, I could've taught him one good lesson.

One second passed between us and there came the call which saved the day for me. I felt a vibration against my thigh. It was Natsume's phone. _"Who calls him in the midnight by the way?" _Though I was grateful to the one who called him, I still couldn't help but wonder who that was.

Backing off, Natsume picked it up. I couldn't read his expression in the dark but I was pretty sure he was annoyed. I wondered why he'd even picked it up for he never cared about people who called him except for mom.

"Yeah, Why?" was his usual blunt answer. I could hear a female voice from the other side of the line and I recognized it at once. It was mom.

"Natsume! What's going on? Where's Mikan? What are you two doing over there?" Mom sounded terrified. She spoke without a halt. I could realize what had made her talk like that when I checked my call logs. Mom had answered to my call when I made the call to her earlier and must've listened to all the crazy talk that had gone on between me and Natsume. She must've got it all wrong.

Natsume gave out a sigh and mumbled something about the craziness of women and handed me the phone. I took it, not sure what to tell her.

"Hello momma… I'm alright. It was just that Natsume and I had an accident. I thought he was a thief. That's why I called you. Sorry momma… It was all a mistake…" I said hoping that explanation would calm her down.

"He isn't troubling you, right honey?" Mom asked, concerned.

"Yeah. I mean No… He isn't. He just scared me to death. Like always…"

I answered, wondering why I didn't ruin his record by exaggerating things like I had done before. I could see Natsume was astonished too. But he hid his expression in milliseconds.

"Okay honey… Then go to bed… both of you! Goodnight!" She hung up.

I handed back the phone to Natsume. He grabbed it and put it in his pocket while smirking.

"Good story, little girl." He said, I wasn't sure if he were smiling or smirking then. I just stuck my tongue at him and turned to left the scene when I remembered I still had a question popping in my mind, unanswered. So I turned back to him.

"Why? What now? Wanna play more?" He asked, coolly again.

"Play more? Huh! I wanna ask you something." I replied, concentrating on my subject.

"What?" He asked, blankly this time. I knew it wasn't an important question. But I Just wanted to know what he was doing here at this hour of the night.

"What were you doing here in the midnight? Did you stalk me?" I asked, looking directly at him as if it were the most important question in the whole world.

"Why would I tell you? Are you a cop?" he asked, uninterested.

"I'm just curious." I said, not wanting to give up that sooner.

"Same reason why you came here." He answered and left the scene without another word.

I could hear his footsteps going up the stairs and then the slamming of the door to his room.

I was again left in the lonely darkness.

I didn't want to go back to my room. Maybe I was just too tired… Or maybe actually… I wanted to play more. But Natsume had already gone. So I decided to spend the next few hours of the night on the couch in the living room.

* * *

**Hiii folks! I've started uploading my story again! Almost after two years I guess! Umm hope you guys aren't mad at me! I had so many changes in my life within those two years so had no chance or mood to continue my story. To put it in to simple words, I'd been a total mess till yesterday! Don't worry… I won't abandon my story again. I will put an end to this. :) **

**-Awful nightmare-**


	6. A ride with King of Spades

**A ride with King of Spades!**

I heard the birds. I could smell it was morning. And I felt a blanket wrapped around my body. It was when I realized I had spent the night on the couch. "Whoa! What a long night!" I said out loud as I yawned and covered my face again with the blanket. Hold on! With the WHAT?

"I don't remember bringing a blanket here!" I said as I tried hard to recall what exactly did happen last night.

"Why, are you the only one living here?" I could hear his hoarse voice ringing. And that made me uncover my face and look up at Natsume, who was sitting right in front of me, dressed in his school uniform. I was astonished. _"Whoa! Did he…" _I thought as a slight smile formed in my lips.

"Ruka came here." He said out of the blue.

"_What! Then was it Ruka Pyon who… OMG!" _I thought as a shot of embarrassment ran through my spine. _"Could it be Ruka Pyon who covered me with the blanket? And if it were him… He could've seen…"_

'He could've seen your Polka dots if I hadn't you covered with that blanket before he walked in." Natsume completed my thoughts. It took me a while to understand what he was implying.

I was about to thank him when the realization hit my mind.

"Whattt! You saw my-!" I started as I knelt down on the couch, thunderstruck.

"Thank me for not sharing that _view _with Ruka!" Natsume said, cutting me off. Right after saying that he stood up to leave. I didn't know if I really had to thank him or not but I opened my mouth before he stepped away.

"Thanks." I didn't say it. It just dropped outta my mouth.

Hearing that his crimson eyes looked into mine and in the next moment, he was gone.

I moment later, I could hear the sound of his car driving away from home. I felt so lonely once again.

* * *

Mom wasn't home yet. I looked at the clock as soon as I heard Natsume driving away and it simply drove me crazy!

"OMG! I'm gonna miss Hotaru!" I screamed as I ran into my room, again like a crazy birdie. I had only 10 minutes left to take a shower, put on my uniform and flee. It was only when I looked at myself in the mirror I could realize how tiresome the previous night had been for me.

"Ooh NOO…" I yelled. "I look like a total mess!" I added to my comment.

Not taking too much time to worry about my looks, I got into my uniform and left the house, without stopping even to have my breakfast. Of course Natsume never did forget to have his breakfast. It was so unlike me to do so too, but that day I had run out of time! If I missed Hotaru, there was no way for me to get to that damn school.

I was at Hotaru's gates within two minutes. She was standing still like a stone pillar by her mom's car, no emotion! No need to read her expressions: I knew she was gonna kill me in the next minute. Hotaru, one of the brightest students in the school, never preferred to go to school late. So being her best friend, I had to, I mean I was forced to go to school earlier than I would've gone if I hadn't been her best friend. Needless to say, sometimes I'd wished, I hadn't been her best friend; especially because I hated going to school early!

"Oh hiii! I'm late!" I said as I waved my hand at Hotaru's emotionless face. She didn't answer just like I had thought.

Without saying a word, she gave me a cold death glare and got into the car as Mrs. Imai looked at me and smiled, gesturing me to hop in as well. With that, I ran to the car and hopped in, trying hard not to make a clumsy noise when shutting the door.

"Whoa! Last night I… I mean we… had an accident! Umm… That's why… You know…" I said without been asked. I knew Hotaru never wanted explanations, but I had to give one, hadn't I?

But that explanation seemed to have caught her by interest. I could say so when she turned her head to say something.

"We? You and Natsume?" She asked, monotony could be seen in her tone, but I suspected she really had wanted to know what had happened between us in the previous night.

"Yeah… Momma wasn't home last night." I said in a tired voice. Hearing this, Hotaru's interest seemed to have faded away.

"When will you guys stop acting like stupid baka kiddoz?" She asked in a not-approving tone. "I can't believe Natsume could act this childish. You guys quarrel whenever Mrs. Hyuuga isn't at home. This is crazy!" She added in her emotionless tone. I knew Mrs. Imai had been waiting to hop into the conversation all that time.

"Why would it matter if they act like children? Besides, it's way better than acting like adults." Mrs. Imai said, chuckling; I couldn't see what was there to chuckle at though. But Hotaru seemed to have caught up with what she said.

"Don't worry mom. They'll never end up being _adults. _I don't think Natsume would ever want something really _adult_ with this moron." Hotaru said. I didn't know how she managed to say those bad stuff about me without any fear. Of course, there was no need to fear me: I was unarmed, unlike she herself was. I wished I could steal her baka gun right then and shoot her right on the head.

"Oh Hotaru! Stop badmouthing her every time! She isn't anything you call her!" Mrs. Imai had saved the day for me. I looked at her eyes in the mirror and smiled, gratefully.

We arrived at school very late; well… not very late in my opinion though. In Hotaru's perspective, it was very late!

I was happy to be late because we had already missed the school assembly and there was no chance for me to bump into Kaname-senpai since everyone was already sitting in their class rooms.

We stepped into the classroom to find there was no teacher present yet. Hotaru walked directly towards her chair while I exhaled in relief and bent down to adjust my socks while smiling brightly to all my friends. I could see Hotaru had already seated on her chair and searching her schoolbag for something. It was when I stood straight I noticed the class was oddly silent and all the students were busy looking at the books. I saw Nonoko pointing her index finger at the door, her eyes filled with fear.

I turned, only to freeze on the spot.

"Sakura! Late again, aren't you?" That was it. For me there was no difference between Mr. Jinno and Detention, because he always foreshadowed detention.

Within a few minutes, I was enrolled in the duty of cleaning the lunch room. It looked messed up more than the last time I had to clean this crappy hall. Yeah, it had been always me who cleaned this part of the school because it had been always me who got punished by Mr. Jinno.

I was gonna miss that day's math lesson and I couldn't have been much happier than I was when I thought about that.

I was cleaning the lunch room, yawning and stopping whenever I was sure that no one was passing by. Ten minutes passed and I was done with my cleaning process. I sat down on the floor near the wall, tired to death, but happy at the same time. I checked my phone hoping to see no messages again, but no way! There was a message and I hoped that wasn't from the service provider. When I opened my notifications, I froze again! Just to see it was from-

"N-Natsume!" I yelled, totally forgetting where I was. "What the! OMG! I can't believe he's texting me!" I said to myself as an astonished smile escaped my mouth. Then I opened the message; it read only three words. "Nice polka dots."

"GRRRR! NATSUME YOU BAKA!" I screamed as I typed the same words in the reply and sending the message in an instance.

I was still raging when Jinno-sensei appeared from the door and gestured me back into the class room.

Hotaru must've noticed the zombie look I had in my eyes when I sat beside her. I could say that from what she asked.

"Why? Still that Kaname guy bothers you?" She asked. "Or is it Natsume this time?" She added to her question, still not lifting her head from the book.

"Natsume's such an idiot!" I said in a dreamy voice which caught Hotaru's attention. This time she lifted her head from the book and looked at me.

"Aha! Natsume. Interesting." She said. I thought I saw her eyes gleaming for a millisecond. Of course! Hotaru always got energized whenever I talked about Natsume bullying me. She liked that very much.

"Yeah. I hate him." I said, not sure if I really meant that.

* * *

The bell rang. Another boring school day was over.

In a few minutes I, Hotaru, Nonoko and Anna were standing at the school gates, chatting and laughing about almost nothing. Hotaru was the only one silent among us. Her eyes were fixed on her brand new weapon, "The Piranha gun". She hadn't mentioned about its mechanism to anyone yet. I wondered if it actually had something to do with Piranhas. I hoped not 'cause I knew I was gonna be the one to taste its opening shot.

"Hey look! Is that him?' we could hear a girl shout out loud in the background. Her voice was able to drag the attention of everyone in the school yard in milliseconds.

We all looked in that direction, wanting to see what was going on.

"Hell ya! It's him!" Another girl screamed. With that everybody started hissing and pointing at a car that was currently parked nicely in the parking lot.

"He just drove in!" another excited voice yelled.

"What is he doing here?" "He can't be dating a girl here, can he?"

Whispers were heard everywhere. Everybody was going crazy and I couldn't realize what the heck was going on in front of the school.

"Who are they talking about? Who's there? I can't see a thing!" I asked Hotaru, because it seemed the easiest way to find out. Hearing that, Hotaru looked at me amazed.

"Don't tell me you don't know that car." She said bluntly. "What I'm wondering is what made him come here." Hotaru added, her eyes fixed on that beautiful black car. Wait! What car? Yeah! I knew that car!

Definitely, I knew that car.

"Natsume!" I yelled as if I were nuts as everyone looked at me as if I had spilled a top secret.

Now… I was again being the model of the day.

"You know, they say this girl lives together with him!"

"No! Can't be! That girl?"

"Yeah. I don't believe that too. Besides, no one has spotted them together."

I could hear them whispering. I was humiliated once again. Not wanting to be the center of attraction anymore, I stepped outta the gates and started walking towards the parking lot, leaving Hotaru and all my friends behind.

I wasn't so sure why I did something like that. Maybe I just had wanted to leave the scene or… maybe I'd wanted to give them a better show by asking Natsume to take me home.

I was walking slowly towards his car until I saw something that stopped me in the midway. It was no one other than Kaname-senpai, standing there watching me with his gang. Seeing him, I felt more and more embarrassed. I was sure I was being their topic of conversation as well.

I saw them laughing and some of his friends were making faces at me. As I hurriedly looked down and started to walk again, I felt something grabbing me by my hand. I looked up only to find me dragged away by Natsume towards his car. I was shocked to death. Yes, I had been hoping to ask him to take me home, most likely I'd been hoping to beg him to take me home, yet I never had thought he himself would've decided to take me home like this.

I didn't speak a word while being dragged away. I just let him lead me without any struggle. I knew this was gonna be the headline of the school magazine that day. "Flat idiotic Mikan Sakura was dragged away by the Glorious Natsume Hyuuga this afternoon. Witnesses say that Natsume Hyuuga had even opened the door for that third class lady to hop in to his car."

It happened just like that. He didn't let go of my hand till he opened the door for me and stuffed me inside. Once inside, I could clearly see Kaname-senpai's perplexed face through the shutter. I even could hear the big hiss of the crowd as I got in.

Everything went really nice and smooth, thanks to Natsume.

I felt like I'd taught them all a good lesson for underestimating my powers.

As Natsume got in, I smiled at his cold crimson eyes in the mirror. They were looking at me but there was no expression in them. He started the engine and drove away at once, putting an end to the big show that had been going on for about twenty long minutes.

I was at last, at ease.

* * *

**Here I'm with my 6****th**** chapter people! Please drop me a review and tell me how it felt! **

**-Awful Nightmare- **


	7. Softening Hearts

**07\. Softening Hearts**

His crimson eyes had an unusual glow in them that evening. They were searching the crowd for some certain pair of hazel orbs, restlessly. Finally, they stopped beside the school gates where four girls were standing, chatting and laughing without a halt. He couldn't help but smirk when his vision focused on the brunette who was obviously, the leading talker in the gang. _"I wonder how they bear to hear them all!" _he thought as he stopped his engine, parking the car in front of the City High School. He knew this would cause much trouble, but he had already made up his mind to go through anything, to _get_ what he wanted.

He'd never expected her to notice him before others did. He already knew that she was _slow._ So because of that, he needed a hell lot of 'patience'.

"_Patience_" he thought as he let out another smirk, looking at the distance figure of the brunette.

But everything happened a bit earlier than he had calculated. He had forgotten that the other girls weren't so slow.

They saw him. And recognized him at once. He could feel the heat building up in the crowd. It took some inaudible whispers, high pitched screaming and some annoying yells to make our brunette turn her head to look at his car, much to his dismay. But he could say that she hadn't recognized him yet. _"Is she blind?" _He thought as he lowered the shutter to give her a clear view.

But no avail. "_Stupid bird!" _he thought, slapping the steer with his right arm, exhausted. He was about to go to his plan B, when he saw his target moving forward, her hazel orbs widened in horror. He was sure she had recognized him by now, but wasn't so sure why she was moving towards his car. He had never expected her to come to him all by herself. He wanted a bit of drama. _"Not like this!" _He thought as he observed the girl, and the onlookers.

About thirty seconds passed. The girl stopped in the midway, looking dazed by something she had noticed on the other side of the road. His ruby eyes followed her gaze and, without too much trouble, noticed what was troubling her. Seeing those idiotic guys hooting and making faces at her, he couldn't be patient anymore. He stepped down from the vehicle, stomped towards her, grabbed her by her hand and within 15 seconds, they were both safely in the car.

He looked at her from the mirror, not wanting her to catch his gaze, but as always, she did. She smiled at him, but he didn't want her to read his feelings so that he kept indifferent.

The car drove off, making the onlookers stand still with their mouths forming big 'O's.

* * *

"Thanks." She said, wanting to break the ice.

Having heard that, Natsume slowed the car and turned his head to face Mikan. He looked cool as ever, but this time a question could also be seen in his gaze.

"Was that him?" He asked, not wanting to speak the name of the person he was referring to. Till then Mikan had been thinking that Natsume had seen Kaname before. So that question surprised her.

"Who? Kaname-senpai?" She asked in return. She always liked to answer a question with another question which Natsume hated the most.

"Hn." Was his reply. Disgust was visible in his tone. He wondered why he hated to hear that name that much. Now Mikan was sure about who he was talking about. So she opened her mouth to say more about him as Natsume gave her a death glare, implying that he had heard enough of him already. Mikan just pouted.

"Stop looking silly." Said he, focusing on the road. His eyes had got a dreamy look by now.

Another silent session passed between the two.

Now, Mikan's mind was boiling with questions. She was never the one to keep quiet. Even Natsume felt a little uneasy without her talking. He had to admit. He wanted her to break the ice. But wait! Not about Kaname again!

"How come you hadn't seen Kaname-senpai before!" She said, almost cried! Hearing that, Natsume's ears bled. Kaname was the last thing he had expected.

"How come? Why you thought I and _your _Kaname-senpai used the same bathroom to see each other every time we peed?" He raced with his words, annoyed to death. Hearing that, Mikan raged.

"I'm not talking about a damn bathroom!" She said in fury. She was overreacting by now. Natsume didn't say a word in return. She could say, he was pissed off. After a few seconds she realized that she had raised her voice at him for no reason. She needed to change the topic.

"Umm… So what were you doing in front of our school? You know what! You made the crowd go crazy! And they were talking nonsense about us!" She said and wondered if it had sounded like a complain.

There he looked at her, interested. His mouth had a smirk at one corner.

"Nonsense? What kinda nonsense?" He asked, visibly smirking. She looked at him and pouted.

"You know… Things like we're living together and those same old stuff!" She spoke out, scraping the seatbelt dreamily. Hearing her reply, his smirk grew wider. Seeing this, Mikan looked at him; anger was visible in her eyes.

"Why! Why're you smirking!" She shot back, trying to make him look at her. "Hey! You haven't answered to my question! What were you doing there in front of my school!" She added to her rage. Natsume looked at her, pissed off this time.

"Why would I tell you?" That was his usual answer. Mikan didn't seem to be satisfied with that. Disappointment was visible in her eyes. Not wanting to inquire again, she rested her head on the back of the seat, and closed her eyes.

Still keeping her eyes shut, she opened her mouth to ask something important.

"Where're we going?" She asked, bored this time. Hearing that, Natsume couldn't help but chuckle. Mikan opened her eyes, shocked to hear him chuckling as if it were the most uncommon thing on earth. Maybe, it actually was.

She looked at him, questioningly.

"Why? You wanna go somewhere other than home?" He asked as he stared at her, seductively.

"Very funny!" She said as she turned her head to the other side, raging once again. Seeing her angry expression, Natsume smiled. He smiled! But she didn't see it. He was sure she didn't. So he was relieved.

* * *

Mikan's school wasn't so far from home. Yet the traffic had been excellent so that it took more than 45 minutes to reach home. As Natsume drove in through the gates, their mom came out waving from the house, smiling. She was really happy to see Natsume driving Mikan home; one of the rare wonders of the world.

He looked at sleeping Mikan as he killed the engine and unlocked the doors. She was fast asleep. "_Dumb bird!" _He thought as he smiled from within. He didn't want their mom to see her son smiling or she'd have him in a lunatic asylum in the next minute.

He got down from the car and walked to the other side, not sure what to do about Mikan. If it had been some other day, he would've pinched her nose and made her jump into consciousness. But that day, he didn't feel like doing so.

Opened the door of her side and sighed. She was breathing heavily, her hair all over her face. He could kiss her right then. Wait! What? No. Their mom was right behind him. Natsume pressed down his feeling and took her in his arms, like what a father would do when his loving daughter had fallen asleep on the couch, watching TV.

Kaoru Hyuuga wasn't surprised to see this happen. She had seen this several times when Mikan had fallen asleep in various places around the house other than her bed.

"It must've been a long day for her." She said, looking at Mikan, who was currently peacefully sleeping in Natsume's arms. She followed Natsume as he carried Mikan to her bedroom and put her to bed. Natsume didn't do anything more although he'd wanted to. He left the room without a word, leaving mom to do the rest.

Mrs. Hyuuga tucked her little girl in the sheets and stepped away, wondering what had made Natsume bring her home. Actually, no one knew the answer yet, which Natsume would never tell.

* * *

Natsume went back to his car just to take his things out. It was when he saw that Mikan had left her phone on the seat, fallen and stuck at the edge of it. He took it out and smiled as he saw one new message in the notifications. He knew how much she yearned to receive messages. Of course he knew! Besides, everyone knew that as it was something she'd always nag about. Thinking of messages, he remembered how she had once stolen his phone and texted to her own number, just to show Permy that she received a hell lot of messages from people when she had insulted her for not receiving a single message from anyone human.

Natsume couldn't hold his smile from widening. Walking towards his room, he decided to check the message, knowing that she had never had a concern for privacy. Locking the phone had never been her style.

Natsume opened the text message with some unknown trepidation. He hoped it wasn't from a guy, he didn't know why. Maybe, he did know why, but she didn't.

He was both relieved and surprised to see that it was from Hotaru.

"Imai? Huh." He said as he ran through the text, which simply read, "How was the ride?" He knew what she had meant.

"Interesting. Imai." He said as his eyes gleamed in an instance.

He hurriedly deleted the message and walked back to her room just to put it under her pillow so he won't hear any annoying curses from her when she woke up.

When he stepped inside her room, he was relieved to see that she was still asleep. He walked near her bed and stopped, bending down. He lifted the corner of her pillow a little and kept the phone there under it, making sure not to wake her up. He turned to leave as Mikan unknowingly touched his hand which was currently near the edge of her bed. He was startled and felt a sudden outburst of emotions pressing his mind not to leave her that soon.

* * *

**So my dear readers! I've switched it to Normal POV! I feel much happier this way, I guess! How do you feel about this change? Lemme know…**

**I'm gonna catch Natsume Off-guard in the next chapter! So stay alert! *wink * wink**

**Plus! If you're really interested, feel free to gimme ideas about where this should go and stuff. I'll be really grateful for those!**

**Kisses! :-***

**HaCel** and **xMikanNatsumex **thanks for your reviews! :-*

**-Awful Nightmare!-**


	8. The sleepy afternoon

**08\. The sleepy afternoon**

_He turned to leave as Mikan unknowingly touched his hand which was currently near the edge of her bed. He was startled and felt a sudden outburst of emotions pressing his mind not to leave her that soon. _

Natsume stopped at once, kneeling down beside her petite sleeping figure. He looked at her tightly closed eyes as his other hand automatically reached for her hair which he caressed smoothly and softly. He could hear her heavy breathing; she was almost snorting. Then he noticed the sweat on her face and neck, proving how that summer had been a hard time for people. She was twitching from side to side by now, slightly whimpering. Natsume knew what the reason was. Besides, who'd sleep well when it was too damn hot out there?

Natsume bent down. He knew she was never gonna like what he did next. But he had to help her. She was suffering, wasn't she?

As he removed his hand from her grip, she didn't move. He was happy about that. _"She's never gonna like this." _He thought as his hands reached for the buttons of her shirt. He unbuttoned the first three buttons and released her neck from the firm grip of the collar. He could swear that he had no dirty mind when he did that, but couldn't hold his eyes from staring at her snow white chest which was now breathing nicely in the air. He always had the habit of teasing her, peeking at her undies, but this time it felt different. He didn't feel like teasing her at all. Besides, that view itself had already teased him.

You could say, Natsume's whole body was aching for her now.

They had been living under one roof for years now. Yet Natsume had never had the chance to give her even a single peck. Of course, he had performed many mischievous things on her, yet no. Never had he kissed her.

One reason for that, was his mom. He knew how she adored Mikan like her own daughter. In her eyes Natsume and Mikan were, siblings. Therefore, he didn't want to hurt her by doing something _illicit _like kissing Mikan. He had to play the role of a brother, though he liked it or not.

He would've been happy to be a brother to anyone, but Mikan. Ever since she was brought to this house, Natsume couldn't think of anything, but her safety. Her safety from other guys!

But how long could he keep her to himself like this? There was no way they were gonna end up together.

Though he could figure things out with his mom, he knew, Mikan had her own dreams.

Natsume was sunk in a sea of thoughts when Mrs. Hyuuga walked in, not noticing Natsume who was currently kneeling beside Mikan's bed. Hearing her footsteps, Natsume put an end to his dream and stood up hurriedly, pretending he had just come in. At the end, Kaoru noticed Natsume had turned to leave the room in a hurry. She smiled at his always calm face, surprised.

"Whoa! I didn't even see you! Were you here all the time?" She asked, smiling. She didn't notice anything different in her son's eyes. If only she had seen Mikan's wide open shirt!

"No. She had forgotten her phone in the car." He said, blankly, not even looking at the person who he was talking to. Hearing that, Kaoru smiled again, looking at Mikan who was sleeping soundly in her rose pink bed. Natsume wondered why she still hadn't noticed her unbuttoned shirt.

"I wonder why she's sleeping like this today. I don't think she'd get up even by dinner." She said as a little dark cloud covered her bright crimson orbs. Mother and son, both shared the same eyes. And needless to say, same love for Mikan.

Giving her a little nod, Natsume walked out of the door.

"Turn on the fan. Looks like that idiot is sweating." Natsume said out loud as he climbed the stairs to his room. Mikan's room was downstairs while Natsume had his special "dark" room upstairs, which their mom had thought would be better, 'cause they always quarreled whenever they were close to each other.

Hearing what he had said, Kaoru looked at her baby girl, it was only then she noticed that her top was pulled open. But she didn't care who did that to her. Probably, she must've thought that Mikan herself had unbuttoned her shirt while lying unconscious.

So she simply turned on the fan and went to her baby girl who was pouting at the ceiling with her eyes tightly shut. She smiled at her and put away her blanket, letting her body breathe some more in the fresh air.

Then she loosened her clothes in the proper way and planted a gentle kiss on her temple, sighing in relief. Then she left the room closing the door behind her, slowly.

* * *

Natsume woke up with a shock when his mother started to bang on his door, calling out for him loudly. The comic book he had on his face, fell onto the ground with a thud as Natsume sat on the edge of his bed, annoyed.

"Yeah." He answered, annoyed to death. He hated it when people awoke him from his peaceful deep slumbers.

"Ruka and Koko are here." She said as Natsume slowly put on a shirt and put an end to his half naked situation.

"Hn." He didn't forget to give his usual reply before his mom left his door.

Within two minutes, he was in the living room, sitting on the couch, facing Ruka and Koko, who were looking at him as if they had never seen him before.

"Why?" Natsume asked in his most serious tone. He was always serious especially after a brief nap. Ruka kept silent as Koko jumped forward to answer Natsume's question, running his hand through his already messy blonde hair.

"Natsume-kun! It's… umm I mean there's… there's a party tonight!" Koko said, stammering, knowing that Natsume was not gonna like to hear who was throwing the party.

"Uh?" Natsume said as he looked at Ruka who ignored his gaze and looked at Koko, wanting him to give the answer. Koko didn't want Natsume to eat his brains, so he looked back at Ruka, passing the question to him again. Natsume was pissed off by now.

"Whose party is it? Ruka?" Natsume asked, catching Ruka off-guard this time.

Having heard his question, Ruka started stammering too. Unlike Koko, stammering had always been a habit of Ruka.

"Na-Natsume… You… can stay at home if you don't wanna attend… That won't matter at all… I just wanted… wanted to know if you're going. I won't go if you aren't -" Ruka was cut off by Natsume's annoyed voice.

"To the point Ruka." Natsume said, forcing Ruka to spill the core of it.

Ruka's throat dried away as he heard Natsume's sharp order. Meanwhile, Koko was preparing his ears to hold the rage of Natsume which was to come next.

"It's… It's a surprise party. Umm… I never wished to go there… but… you know… Imai… She blackmailed-" Ruka was again cut off.

"I don't care if it's a surprise or a shock! Just tell me which idiot's party is it!" was Natsume's remark.

"It's that… Tsubasa's… b'day today." Ruka said, wishing that won't drive him mad.

Koko was calculating when exactly that bomb release was gonna be. Both Ruka and Koko were counting…

3

2

1

? No! Nothing happened.

"I won't come." Said Natsume in a calmer tone, his eyes were shut. Ruka was happy about his reaction but not about his answer.

"But… Natsume… Imai…" Ruka said, blushing this time. Seeing him blush, Koko couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"Natsume-kun… How could you ignore your Best buddy's needs? He's been waiting for this chance, fingers crossed!" Koko said, smiling sheepishly.

Hearing that, Ruka blushed even more. His feelings for Hotaru had never been a secret to Natsume, but how could he let someone speak them out loud in public!

"You can go without me." Natsume said, concerned this time, still keeping his eyes shut.

"But Natsume…" Ruka said as Natsume ignored him and stood up to leave the scene.

_"These two are like love birds! Why Ruka just can't exist without him." _Koko thought as he looked at disappointed Ruka.

Natsume was slowly moving towards the stairs, as he heard Ruka's shocked voice, calling out for Mikan.

"Sa-Sakura!" Ruka was visibly shocked to see Mikan walk into the living room where two guys were seated, their mouths forming big capital 'O's.

She was rubbing her eyes, yawning. Her clothes all loose which was the reason why those guys were shocked to death. Koko was grinning while Ruka blushed once again. This time, deep red!

Hearing Ruka calling out her name, Mikan was restored to consciousness.

"Ruka-Pyon! Koko-kun!" She said cutely, two seconds before she realized her situation. Before she could even realize if it was a dream or real, Natsume had reproached to the scene, pushing her back towards her room, covering the view with his body.

"Whoa!" Koko said, still with his scornful grin. "Natsume-kun is definitely a lucky guy!" He added as he looked at the retreating figures at a distance.

* * *

"What the heck was that?" Natsume asked as he stuffed half naked Mikan back in the room. Mikan was nearly crying by now.

"I didn't know they were here." Mikan said, half crying, her teary eyes looking into Natsume's angry crimson ones.

"Listen you idiot! You're living here with a guy. His friends would come over anytime! So don't dare step into the living area with your things wide open!" Natsume yelled as he held Mikan's hand tightly, making her burst into some more tears.

"I didn't know…" That was all she could say. Hearing that, Natsume dropped her hand and left the room, slamming the door behind him. He was angry like when he had beaten Serio for torturing Mikan and stealing her shirt.

Hearing that big slamming of the door, Kaoru came running into the scene, only to see a very angry Natsume stomping towards the stairs. Feeling Kaoru's presence behind him, Natsume stopped, his back turned to her.

"Ask your daughter not to walk around naked at least when _other _guys are here."

Natsume said and left the stage at once, not wanting to play more.

He was upset. He would always be when _other_ guys involved with Mikan.

* * *

Mikan was sobbing in her bed, her cries muffled by the pillow. She always felt really bad when Natsume raged on her. She didn't know why he was so concerned about that little instance. Ruka and Koko weren't total strangers after all. They must've realized that it was an accident.

"_Idiot!" _She thought as she wiped her tears and turned to face the ceiling.

She had been staring at the ceiling for three minutes when her dream world was scattered into pieces by her phone which started to vibrate under her head. It made her jump off the bed and stand straight beside her bed.

She picked it up, wiping her runny nose with her collar. It was Hotaru.

"Yeah. Hotaru…" She said before Hotaru started to go through her list of information.

"It's that Tsubasa's b'day today." Hotaru said flatly, making Mikan's heat stop beating.

"OMG! How could I forget! Oooooooh! Tsubasa senpaiii! He's gonna kill meee!"

Mikan was screaming so that Hotaru had to keep her phone in a safe distance.

"No need to yell baka! No one has wished him yet. Misaki senpai's throwing a surprise party for him. You can bring your stupid wish there." Hotaru said, emotionlessly as ever.

"Whoa! Where?" Mikan asked, totally forgetting what had happened earlier in the day.

"At Misaki senpai's." was Hotaru's answer. "If Natsume isn't gonna take you there, come ON TIME to leave with me! I'm leaving home at 6.30. With you or without you." She said and hung up before Mikan could make any reply.

"Duh… Okay Hotaru…" Mikan said, knowing that Hotaru had already hung up. She looked at the clock dreamily and got goose bumps in milliseconds.

"OMG! How am I gonna make it! It's already 5.00!" She cried as she flew into the bathroom, making mind maps about what she was gonna wear and what to give Tsubasa senpai as a gift.

* * *

**Hi there my loving readers!**

**I'm done with my 8****th**** chapter. Whoa! I'm thinking of uploading 2 chapters together tomorrow. This way, I'll be able to put an end to this story before Next month, hopefully. ****J**

**I still couldn't give you any suspense. Keep your hopes till next chapter.**

**Haha! :-D**

**And yeah! **HaCel, MusicIsTheWorld, newroz,

**Thanks a bunch for your reviews babes. :-* :-* :-***

**Yeah I won't rush **HaCel** ;-D**

**Have I? ;-) **

**Hope you're happy with this chapter, though there's nothing much in it.**

**Plus, if you're interested in my writing, I invite you to read my 1****st**** fanfic too!**

**I was only 16 when I wrote it. Haha!**

s/7803971/1/A-Victorian-era-love

** -D Check it out! **

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	9. What a pleasant surprise!

**09\. What a pleasant surprise!**

Hotaru was standing there beside a silver car, her violet eyes gleaming in anger.

She was late. Oh yes, she had expected this.

"Let's leave, Nogi." She said as she opened the door and stepped inside the vehicle.

"B-but… Sakura?" Ruka asked, terrified. He never wanted to leave, leaving that innocent girl behind. Hearing that, Hotaru looked at him and Ruka froze.

"Start the engine." Hotaru said as she patted her mini baka gun which she had specially designed for parties. Ruka's throat dried as he saw her gun and he knew she won't hesitate to use it on him.

"O-okay!" He said, looking totally terrified. He had already started the engine when he saw a running figure coming in their way.

"Hey! Waittt! I'm cominggg! Hotaruuu!" They could hear her screaming and hopping. She had her hair loose and her flip flops were dangling in her hand. She hadn't had enough time even to arrange her hair or get into her shoes.

"Here comes the idiot." Hotaru said flatly as she turned and glared at Mikan who was getting in to the car like a clumsy birdie.

"Oh! Hotaru you meanie! You almost left me!" She said as she stuffed herself inside, clumsily. Hotaru looked at her with disgust.

"You're never gonna learn a lesson Mikan. If it wasn't for this idiot-" she pointed at Ruka and continued, "I would've been already in the party." Seeing her pointing her finger at him, Ruka froze again.

Hearing what she had said, Mikan looked down, hurt.

"I'm sorry Hotaru… I always mess things up." She said, hurt was visible in her tone.

"Get into your shoes you idiot! And do something to your hair." Hotaru said, ignoring what Mikan had said.

* * *

"Tsubasa senpaiii!" Mikan cried out loud as she ran towards the 21 year old guy, who was standing there with a tall, slender, pink haired girl, talking and smiling sheepishly. Hearing Mikan's loud cry, the whole crowd turned their heads to look at her, shocked.

"Mikan!" Tsubasa was equally excited to see her out of the blue. Misaki was also happy to see Mikan, and joined the celebration.

"Tsubasa senpaiii! Happy Birthday!" Mikan said as she jumped forward and hugged the blue haired guy at once. Tsubasa hugged her back, gently as he whispered his happiness to her ear.

"Misaki senpaiii! It's been sooo long!" Mikan jumped and hung around Misaki's neck soon after she recovered from Tsubasa's hug. Misaki hugged her back gently, tears were rising in her eyes.

"Yeah Mikan… Look you've grown up so much! You were this much when we last saw you." Misaki said as she lowered her hand to show how short Mikan had been 5 years back. Tsubasa and Misaki had been studying at Mikan's school before they flew to USA to continue their studies there. They had been the best senior friends Mikan had had and they had protected her in every means ever since they had got to know each other.

"I didn't even know you guys were already here!" Mikan said as she wiped a tear which had fallen on to her left cheek.

"We just arrived 5 days ago and wanted everyone to be surprised to see us back. So we kept it till today." Tsubasa said as he patted Mikan's back, lovingly.

"Why isn't Natsume here?" Misaki asked Ruka who was standing there, taking glimpses of Hotaru who had already started to feast.

"Umm…uh… You know…" Ruka answered, looking down, disappointed.

"Yeah. We know." Tsubasa said as he ran his fingers through his hair, smiling sheepishly. He already knew Natsume hated him, maybe, because he was stupid or maybe who knows, for being close to Mikan?

"Anyway guys! Let's enjoy the party!" Misaki said as she dragged Tsubasa to the dance floor.

Mikan watched them dancing, seated in a corner of the room, alone. She did want to dance, but with who? She hoped Tsubasa senpai would take her to the floor after he was done dancing with Misaki senpai. She saw Ruka, trying hard to get Hotaru to dance, who was busy with her food. She couldn't help but smile at her best friend's hard heart.

"Oh Hotaru…" She said as she stood up to walk towards her. Maybe they could dance together. They had done that several times.

All she wanted was to dance, this way or the other.

She was walking towards Hotaru through the crazy crowd, when her eyes met with a certain pair of eyes, she knew very well. Seeing them, her legs automatically stopped.

"Hi! You wanna dance?" The owner of the eyes spoke, treating Mikan with goose bumps. Her eyes, widened as she clutched the corner of her short pink dress.

"Well…umm…uh…" She could find no words to form her answer. She was still blabbering nonsense when that person took her arm and led her to the dance floor.

Seeing this new couple, everyone started to cheer.

"Whoa! What a cute couple!" Kitsuname who was sitting next to Koko at the drinks bar shouted out making Koko, Hotaru and Ruka look up at the couple, thunderstruck.

"What the heck is going on!" Koko spoke out Hotaru's thoughts. Ruka was simply speechless.

"Looks like they've reconciled." Kitsuname said, grinning. Hotaru, who had always kept a calm outer shell, couldn't keep calm this time. Her shock was visible in her stare.

_"__Natsume's never gonna like to hear this." _Ruka thought as a dark cloud covered his blue sky. Ruka knew everything inside Natsume's heard, including his love for Mikan. Koko had some idea about that too.

Meanwhile, Mikan was there on the dance floor, startled, dazed and lost. Kaname was holding her by her waist, engaged in a slow dance, swaying from side to side while looking into her dreamy hazel orbs. Mikan couldn't figure out if it was a dream or real. She just let him take her over. It all felt so strange, and… so good.

It was simply the moment when all her dreams had come true.

Mikan tried to pinch herself to check whether it was actually a dream or not. Feeling that Kaname smiled at her, his eyes dazzling in the party lights.

"Why…?" He asked as he bent his head, his forehead nearly touching Mikan's. Feeling that close proximity, her throat dried and ran out of words. She just looked at him, speechless.

They had danced for about 15 minutes, when Kaname asked her to come and have a drink with him. She just followed him to a lonely corner of the room, away from gossipy eyes.

"You look really pretty tonight…" Kaname said, as he drew the chair for Mikan, very gentleman-like. Mikan just sat on the chair with an ugly thud- very unladylike! It looked like Kaname hadn't noticed that so Mikan thanked her guardian angels and opened her mouth to thank him.

"Thanks… Senpai!" She said, blushing. Hearing that Kaname looked at her playfully.

"Why thank me? Besides, I'm the one who should thank you for accepting my hand. Can't you see? You're the prettiest girl tonight!" He said as he sat at the table, facing her.

Hearing what he had said, Mikan's blush grew two times wider.

"I don't think so… There are plenty of beautiful girls around-" Her blushful remark was cut off by the blonde prince sitting in front of her.

"But still you're the most beautiful one." He said as he touched her supple hand which was resting on the table, sending an electric current through her spine.

"A-am I?" She asked, shocked to death. Seeing her shocked expression, Kaname's flirty smile faded away.

"You don't have to fear me. Don't be so formal." He said while squeezing her hand, bending forward. Mikan had already given into him, so that she didn't freak out this time.

"B-but-"

"No buts! I actually wanna apologize to you. I was being a real idiot when I turned you down." He said, as Mikan's eyes grew wider.

"Yeah… I regret that now." He added in a sad tone as he took his hand away. "I guess… I'm too late now." He said, looking forward for Mikan's response.

"Too late? What do you mean?" Mikan asked, surprised. What the heck was he talking about! He could never be too late. Not in another 20 years!

"I saw you with Natsume Hyuuga earlier today." He said in a disappointed voice.

Now Mikan could get what he meant. She had to correct his thoughts, or she was gonna get accused for something she had never had in her life.

"Natsume is not my boyfriend! He and I are more like siblings!" She said in a hurried manner. The sooner he got rid of that _wrong _idea, the better. Hearing that, Kaname's eyes started to dazzle again.

"Whoa! Would you mind telling me more about you guys?" Kaname asked, interested. He had to make sure that she was _really_ alone.

"Oh… There's nothing much to tell about us… We share the same mom. So he and I are nothing but siblings." She said, relieved to feel that Kaname's interest was back on her.

"Same mom? What do you mean?" He asked, smiling this time.

"Umm… that's a long story… I'll tell you some other day…" Mikan said, smiling back at him. This time, tension was far away from her eyes.

They talked. They smiled. Mikan felt as if she was flying in the sky.

* * *

Hotaru was staring at a certain couple, smiling in one of the distant corners.

Her chain of thoughts got scattered in to pieces when Koko cleared his throat to say something.

"I knew he would be here." He said, following Hotaru's gaze.

"He used to be Tsubasa's best friend, remember?" Ruka added in a dreamy voice.

"Who'd forget that, baka." Hotaru joined the conversation.

"At least, she's happy now." Anna said as she passed the plate of treats to Nonoko who was looking at the couple dreamily.

"Yeah… Mikan-chan can't be happier than she is now." Nonoko said as she took the plate in both of her hands and hugged it to her bosom.

"But he turned her down only yesterday!" Koko said in a how-come tone.

"I wonder what made him act this way…" It was Ruka who expressed his thoughts this time.

"Natsume." Hotaru said out of the blue as everyone looked at her in horror.

"Natsume what?" Ruka asked, shocked.

"Natsume made him act like this." Hotaru said as everyone looked shocked.

"I knew this would happen. But not this sooner." Hotaru added before she started to eat again, uninterested.

* * *

**Hi there people! There goes my 9th chapter.**

**So now, now….**

**On to the next chapter-**


	10. Let's have some coffee!

**10\. Let's have some coffee!**

Everyone was leaving. It was almost midnight.

Mikan went to Tsubasa and took something out of her tiny pink purse. It was a locket she had been keeping for years. She handed it to Tsubasa and he opened it, only to see a tiny photograph of Himself, Misaki and Mikan, taken when they were in the middle school. He closed it and put it in his pocket, touched. Then he hugged Mikan gently but tightly and kissed her on the forehead.

"Will you be leaving soon?" Mikan asked, tears rising in her eyes.

"Umm… We'll see Mikan… We can't even control our own lives." Tsubasa said, not wanting to see her cry.

"Hmmm… I know… I'm a grown up now…" She said out cutely as she hugged him again.

"So who's gonna take you home? Shall I drop you Mikan?" Tsubasa asked, concerned.

"No… Hotaru is waiting for me… Thanks senpai!" Mikan said before she bade farewell to them and walked towards the parking area.

Hotaru and Ruka were there waiting for her; Hotaru pissed off like always.

"You took more than 30 minutes to walk outta the house!" Hotaru said, pissed off.

"Don't worry… I'll take her home." Another voice spoke out. Ruka and Hotaru turned to that side and froze.

Mikan looked at Kaname, who had kindly offered to take her home and smiled. This time, Mikan wanted to give Hotaru's ego a huge blow.

"Yeah then… Looks like I have a ride…" She said as she gave a scornful look to Hotaru who couldn't believe that Mikan had just blown off her ego.

"Yeah sure." Hotaru said, blankly before she pushed Ruka towards the car and got in at once, slamming the door to go with her anger.

Within a minute, they drove off, leaving Kaname and Mikan alone on stage.

"Looks like your best friend doesn't like to see us together." Kaname said as he looked at the retreating car dreamily.

"She's always like that. We don't have to worry about her." Mikan said, nonchalantly. It was the first time she had ever told someone not to _worry_ about her best friend. Till now, she never had seen her best buddy as a so-called barrier.

But now… To her, Hotaru was no one but an obstacle in her eyes.

If someone came in their way, now, she won't ever hesitate to eliminate that trouble, whoever they were.

This was a rare chance. So she had to play safe.

* * *

That night seemed darker than previous nights. She didn't know why.

They had been driving in silence till Kaname opened the conversation, not wanting to kick his luck.

"So umm… how're you feeling?" Kaname asked, not looking at Mikan who was looking out dreamily from the shutter, though she could see nothing but dark and some random buildings with neon lights. Hearing Kaname speak, Mikan was restored to the real world.

"Oh… Umm… great! Yeah… I'm feeling great!" She barely managed to answer to that sudden question. Seeing her situation, Kaname smiled.

"You're really different, from the other girls." He said as he concentrated again on driving. Then suddenly, a nice idea popped up in his mind.

"Shall we stop to have some coffee?"

* * *

Natsume couldn't sleep.

His bed seemed really uncomfortable that night. So he stood up and checked the time in his phone. It was 1.15 in the morning. He had been awake all the time. Not wanting to stick inside his room anymore, he stepped outta it and closed the door behind him without making much noise.

He climbed down the stairs and walked pass Mikan's bedroom. No sign. He turned and walked pass it again. Still, no sign. He could feel tension growing inside his mind. Therefore he decided to go to his business directly.

He walked towards her room and opened the door, slowly. He could see nothing in the dark but he couldn't just turn on the lights. So he walked towards her bed and reached for her to find nothing but a slight vibration from within her pillow.

He lifted the pillow only to find her vibrating phone. "Great!" Natsume said to himself as he took the phone in his hand. It was when he noticed that Hotaru was calling her. Confusion struck his mind. He knew she had left with Hotaru and was supposed to come home with the same person. Then why would Hotaru call her now?

"Where's she." Natsume asked soon after picking it up.

"Ah Hyuuga. She isn't home yet?" Hotaru asked, concerned. She always responded concerned to Natsume. Natsume was the only person in her acquaintance, she had considered "non-idiotic". So she always sounded serious to Natsume.

"No! Where the hell is she?" Natsume had lost his temper, especially after hearing Hotaru's reply. Hotaru knew how Natsume felt at the moment. So she didn't wanna hurt him more by telling the truth. So she had to think of something else.

"Oh… She said she'd come with Tsubasa senpai. She was taking so long. So Nogi and I left before her. Don't worry, Misaki senpai was there with them." Hotaru lied. That was the first time she had really lied to a person. What she always had done was just going through the information, but here, she lied, just to make Natsume feel at ease.

"Hn." was Natsume's answer before he hung up. If Hotaru had said Tsubasa and Mikan was driving alone, he'd have broken the phone in to pieces. But what she had said was they were not alone. So Natsume had nothing to worry about. But he couldn't just go back to his room and sleep.

Simply,

He wanted to see her home safe before he closed his eyes.

So he waited. Waited in the living room, lying on the couch. Another 15 minutes passed. Natsume was getting restless by now. He could hear footsteps, climb down the stairs. He knew who that was.

"Natsume? What're you doing here? Is Mikan home?" Kaoru asked, concerned.

"Uh. No she isn't. Imai called me and said she was fine." Natsume said. He had to keep his mother from freaking out. Hearing that, Kaoru sighed in relief.

"Oh…Okay then… So why aren't you sleeping?" Kaoru asked as she sat beside Natsume, putting her arm around his shoulders. Natsume never liked being treated like a little boy so he slowly put away her hands.

"I just didn't feel like sleeping in the bedroom tonight. Since that idiot is not around, I gotta taste my freedom." Natsume said out coolly.

_Freedom?_ What freedom was he talking about? But Kaoru ate up his lie nicely.

"Yeah…Yeah! You wicked cruel boy!" She said and punched him on the shoulder, smiling.

"You go to bed now. There's nothing to worry about." He said and he hoped.

"Okay then… Sleep tight honey! And oh! Please let me know when she returns." Kaoru said and walked back to her room.

* * *

Natsume heard the engine of a car dying. It was almost 2.30 in the morning. He didn't turn on the lights and reached for the window to see what was going on outside. Then he saw it.

He saw the truth. The raw truth.

Mikan was there standing beside a white car, and the man he saw, he could say, definitely wasn't Tsubasa. To worsen the situation, he could recognize who that was.

"Son of bi#%$!" Natsume spoke out as he gritted his teeth, still looking at the smiling couple through the window.

He saw them clearly. He could see that man grabbing Mikan by her waist and what?

He could see that blonde haired guy, doing what he could never do.

He kissed her.

Natsume's fingers formed a fist.

* * *

She walked in, fully content that night. She had no one to welcome her home, and she was glad about that. She knew she was late. She was too damn late. So she slowly crept into her room and closed the door, locking it from inside.

She had never locked her door before, but that night, she needed privacy.

She hurriedly found her phone in the bed and dialed a number she had never had in her contact list. So she saved it.

"Kaname." She spoke out passionately as she typed it.

She was really happy, 'cause finally, she had won her prize.

* * *

Hotaru was in her bed. Confused. She knew Natsume must've known the truth by now, but still she had to find out. She couldn't sleep without knowing that Mikan is home safe. Looked like everyone had the same problem.

So she made the call. Directly to Natsume this time.

He picked it up, annoyed.

"Yeah, she's home and good story Imai!" He said without stopping and hung up in an instance before Hotaru could sympathize with him.

"Guys…" Hotaru thought before she drifted to sleep, not knowing what would happen in the future.

Everyone dozed off, except for one certain pair of crimson eyes. It was definitely a long night for them.

* * *

**Whoa! I must tell you that these are the chapters I enjoyed the most! The 9****th**** and the 10****th****! I dunno if you feel the same but whoa! My fingers just won't stop typing!**

**I was scared I'd make these chapters unnecessarily long. But I managed to stop here.**

**So how do you feel? Lemme know. **

**More to come people! **

**And I won't be updating anytime soon this weekend. Don't be mad at me okay…**

**I've given you 2 chapters at once so please do wait.**

**I gotta attend some classes. So PATIENCE people!**

**Till we meet again… just remember that I love you all!**

**And my kisses goes to all the people who've reviewed and favorited my story, including, **newroz, HaCel and MusicIsTheWorld

**Your reviews make me stronger. So if you want me to update really fast, just drop me a really ****convincing**** review that would make me cry! Hahaha :-D I really mean it!**

**See ya! :-* :-* :-***

**-Awful Nightmare- **


	11. After Party

**11\. After Party**

"Whoa!" Mikan said to herself as she opened her eyes and smiled. Her usual sunny smile had an unusual shine that morning. She didn't want to raise her head from the pillow. "It was a wonderful dream! I wish it was real!" Mikan added to her amusement. She forced her eyes to sleep again: seeing that dream over and over again was her sole intention now.

"Please! Oh please Kami-sama! I wanna see the rest of it!" Mikan pleaded as she kept her eyes tightly closed, hugging another pillow with her arms all around it.

"Just when did you arrive darling? Oh! I'm the most reckless mom on earth! I couldn't even stay awake last night! I slept like a total pig!" Mikan heard her mom's voice coming out from nowhere. There she opened her eyes, only to see a half crying Kaoru Hyuuga.

"Oh momma… What're you talking about…?" Mikan asked, still hugging her pillow, in a dreamy state. Hearing that, Kaoru's sweat dropped.

"Mikan! Are you alright? Did somebody give something bad to you last night? Why don't you remember anything?" Kaoru asked as she rushed to Mikan's beside and sat in the corner of the bed. Hearing what mom had said, Mikan tried to recall what had happened last night, pouting at the ceiling. Seeing her trying hard to recall things, Kaoru's fear reached its climax.

"Why on earth you don't remember about the party last night! I think we'll need Hotaru to come over and sort things out for you." Kaoru said, worried to death. Her crimson orbs examined Mikan from head to toe. Still, no sign of danger. Seeing her probing eyes, Mikan started to get annoyed.

"Momma… I'm alright… But I just can't-" She was cut off by her own mind. _"Wait! What! Last night! Party! Whaaaaattt! Does that mean? No NO NO! It can't be! It just can't be! He and me? NO NO holy GOD!"_

There, things started to flow into her mind; forgotten memories from last night. Unbelievable, yet true. Mikan's eyes had widened in horror which Kaoru noticed and winced.

"There! I knew something wasn't right! What's going on Mikan! What happened to you last night?" Kaoru asked as she pressed Mikan's hand in terror. With this, Mikan raised her upper body, bringing herself to a sitting position. She still had that horrified look in her eyes, much to her mother's dismay.

_"__So was that true! Was that really true! So it wasn't a dream! I really… I mean… we really… I and Kaname?"_ Mikan whispered to her heart as she focused her horrified eyes on nothing.

"You gotta tell me Mikan…" Kaoru said, breaking her dreamy shield into pieces.

"Umm… Momma… I was just sleepy… It was a long night after all… I do remember everything about the party… Umm nothing bad happened to me momma… I assure you!" Mikan said, making Kaoru sigh in relief.

"Okay then honey… I think you should sleep a bit more. I'll call Hotaru and tell you won't go to school today. You definitely can't go like this." Kaoru said in a relieved tone and left the room, leaving Mikan alone with her racy heart.

She could feel butterflies starting to celebrate Christmas inside her belly. She couldn't believe a thing about last night. Her hands had already started to shake. Her lips didn't know how broad her smile should be right now. Her fingertips were numb. In simple words, she wasn't sure if she was dead or alive.

"Kaname-senpai? Danced with me? And- and… he even… Kissed me? And… we… OMG!" Mikan thought as a drop of sweat rolled down her face. Sorting things out gradually, Mikan searched for her phone, reaching for it under her pillow. She took it in her hand and checked the messages. One from Hotaru and none from Kaname?

She had expected at least one single text from Kaname, after that long night they had had. But no! Nothing at all! Feeling sad, she opened Hotaru's message.

"Get dressed and come out at once!" It read. But Mikan didn't feel like going to school that day. She was terribly exhausted.

"Nay, Hotaru…" She said in a fatigued tone. She had slept only for a few hours the previous night. How on earth could she go?

But some sudden urge made her do so.

After 20 minutes, she was in the living room, dressed in her uniform; perfect. She could see no one there in it. She could smell Natsume had already left. She wondered what had happened to her mom. No trace of her could be seen in the house. So she stepped into the kitchen, just to find a note on the refrigerator.

"Mikan, honey… take the key with you if you wish to go outside." Mom had written in her beautiful handwriting. Mikan took it off and stepped outside the house, taking the keys with her. Within a few minutes she was in front of Hotaru's house and was relieved to find their car still in the garage. She walked through the gates and entered the house, only to find Hotaru sitting on the couch, busy with her schoolbag as always.

"Morning Hotaru…! Looks like I'm early today…" She said out in a cute voice, making Hotaru look up at her face.

"I'm surprised." Hotaru answered, although her voice didn't sound surprised at all. The usual monotony was there in her violet eyes.

"Whoa! I never thought I'd make it today!" Mikan said cheerfully as she jumped on the couch, joining Hotaru.

"I knew you won't miss it today." Hotaru said, emotionlessly; still focusing on her schoolbag. Hearing her cool remark, Mikan blushed and looked down at her clasped palms.

"Thought you'd left already. With your frog prince." Hotaru added, still not looking at Mikan. Hearing her statement, Mikan's sweat dropped.

"Uh! F—frog P—prince? Who do you mean?" Mikan asked, stammering. She knew exactly who she had meant. Maybe she wanted to verify it.

"Who else. No need to talk about that. Let's go." Hotaru said as she stood up, uninterested. Mikan automatically followed to suit.

They walked to the car and waited for Mrs. Imai to drive them to school.

The rest of the conversation had nothing to do with the current situation, but Mikan, kept praying the whole time.

_"__Please Kami-sama! Make me bump into him today!"_

* * *

She hoped, she prayed but nothing came in her way. Half of the day had gone, yet nothing of him had startled her for the day so far.

It was really hard for Mikan to exist in school that day. Everyone was staring at her as if she were a criminal out of jail. It was slightly different with her friends as they showed their happiness for her achievement last night. Yet she didn't feel really comfortable even with them. She felt as if something was missing.

Something was actually missing. And it was Kaname.

Kaname wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Mikan-chan… Why be sad? Look! We all saw your dream come true last night!" Nonoko said in a soothing voice.

"Yes, Mikan… It all happened like a miracle! We couldn't believe our eyes!" Anna joined, completing what Nonoko had said.

"How could she be happy when there's no trace of that baka today." Hotaru's cold voice joined the conversation from nowhere.

Mikan had already had enough of it for that day. She was fed up of being the topic of the school conversations. She wanted to go home right now. But how… The bell hadn't rung yet. She had to wait. She was fed up of waiting as well.

* * *

**Whoa! Guess it was my shortest chapter ever! Haha! :-D**

**I'm back with my story people! *wave!**

**On to the next chapter! Don't get confused, I'll explain everything at the right time!**

**Kisses!**

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	12. When Dreams become Nightmares

**12\. When Dreams become Nightmares**

Days and days had passed…

Months and months had passed…

But Mikan was still waiting.

It was another school day 2 months after that party where Mikan had the chance to hold on to her first love.

"It's been only two months yet…" Mikan said to herself as she walked through the corridor which led to her classroom. She felt tired like never before. She felt as if she was gonna collapse any minute. But she managed to walk into her classroom and sat on her chair, looking at the open book on her desk, dreamily.

"Looks like our idiot hasn't made her mind to move on yet." She could hear her best friend's voice coming through her dull dreamy state.

"Oh, Hotaru… I didn't notice you coming." Mikan said as she looked up at the short black haired girl who was standing beside her, reloading her pink baka gun.

"Oh yeah. I could see that." Hotaru said coolly, uninterested. Mikan just pouted.

After a few monotonous seconds, they heard the bell ringing, bringing another school day to its end. Mikan was relieved. All she wanted was to go home and sleep like a dead person. She wished she could sleep for good.

"Let's go baka." Hotaru said as she picked her stuff and turned to leave. Mikan just followed her as always, silent. That silence however, was something very unusual.

Within a long few minutes, they were there in front of Hotaru's house, Mikan still in her gloomy mood. After they had got down from the car, Hotaru turned to Mikan, penetrating into her gloomy hazel eyes with her inquisitive violet ones.

"Did you notice?" Hotaru asked, looking at Mikan directly in her eyes.

"N-no-notice? What?" Mikan asked, stammering as she looked back at her best friend's eyes in horror.

"Your eyes have lost their colour." Hotaru said without emotion.

"Colour? Aren't they brown now?" Mikan asked, totally confused. Hearing what she had said, Hotaru couldn't help but smile. It was definitely a rare occasion.

"Baka! Why can't you just grow up?" Hotaru said as she turned to walk into her house, still with the smile she had got from Mikan's stupid question. But suddenly something struck her mind and turned back to face Mikan. Mikan was standing still in the same position, musing upon what Hotaru had meant by "lost colour".

"Shall we go play in the park tomorrow?" Hotaru asked as she looked at Mikan's confused face and smiled. Mikan could see her violet eyes dazzling in the light of the evening sun. And that was another rare occasion too. Hearing what had just come out of Hotaru's mouth, Mikan couldn't keep her smile covered with gloom anymore.

"Uh! Alright Hotaru!" Mikan said out in a cheerful voice, for the first time in two months. It made her emotionless best friend's heart skip a beat. Hotaru was happy, really happy to see her stupid best friend's sunny smile restored to her lips. Her little trick had served her well. She thought as she turned to leave the scene after giving Mikan a smile coated nod.

Mikan on the other hand, was still smiling when she was walking on the pavement which led to her house. She walked through the gates and entered the house, closing the door behind her.

_"__I must move on!" _She thought, as the loud thud of the closed door died away.

* * *

"Natsume… It's enough. Let's go." The blonde said, not sure if those were the best words to be said at the moment.

"Nah." It was the raven haired guy's simple and clear answer. Having heard what he had said, the blonde sat down at the table, looking at the empty beer cans thrown all over it. It was so unlike Natsume to act this way, yet he knew what made him do so.

"This won't change anything, you know…" Ruka said, still looking at the grimy table; the cans shining in the neon light of the night sky which was flowing into the dark little building through its long plain windows.

Natsume kept silence; his crimson eyes half closed.

"Natsume… Let's—" Ruka was cut off.

"This… won't change anything. I know." Natsume was saying in his deepest voice. "I know… I know Ruka." He added as he leaned his back on the chair some more. "But… This would make the time fly. And this would keep me from…" Natsume stopped his sentence in the midway to focus his eyes on his best friend's.

"From seeing her." Natsume completed his sentence as his half-closed crimson eyes gleamed, piercing the darkness of the atmosphere. Hearing what he had said, Ruka felt a sudden pang in his heart. He knew how much his best buddy yearned for Mikan. He cursed that man, for making his soul mate suffer in to this extent.

"Natsume… I… I'm sorry… I'm of no use! I'm a useless friend!" Ruka said, his eyes blinded with tears. He couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't stand seeing his best friend suffer this much.

"Huh, No. There's nothing you can do." Natsume said, running his hand through his already messy raven hair, smiling sarcastically. "Besides… It's just that..." Natsume was saying, looking outside from the broad window. "It's just that her heart doesn't feel me." Said he, his eyes nearing to doze off. Seeing the faraway look in his eyes, Ruka stood up at once and reached for his friend's shoulders, making him stand up as well.

Natsume didn't struggle and let him guide through the doors to the car.

* * *

Natsume was resting his head on the shutter, half asleep while Ruka was busy doing two things at once. He had to check on his friend as well as to focus on driving.

"Do you know… Ruka…" Natsume started, keeping his eyes tightly closed.

"Hmm?" Ruka said as he looked at Natsume's lifeless face. He liked it very much when Natsume opened up to him, sharing his pain with him, which was very rare.

"How hard it is for me to… exist with her in the same house…" said he. "To keep myself from seeing that smile… knowing that I'm only a few yards away from it." "Can you imagine how I resist myself from wanting to touch her? Can you imagine how I brush my feeling away like they're nothing at all?" He paused and raised his upper body and positioned it on the seat the proper way. Ruka could see him looking out through the windscreen, his ruby eyes searching for the depths of the darkness.

"Natsume…" Ruka said as he positioned his eyes on Natsume's now open eyes.

"Take the turn to your house." Natsume said as Ruka nodded in agreement.

* * *

It was about 7 o' clock in the morning. Kaoru Hyuuga was sitting on the couch, anxiety was visible in her eyes. She had the phone in her left hand and she was making calls to her son over and over again.

"Why on earth aren't you taking it Natsume!" She said out loud, totally scared. She knew Natsume hadn't been himself for past two months. He rarely came home, and if he came home it was in the middle of the night, when everyone was asleep. And in the morning he was gone again. So that Kaoru hadn't seen her son fully with her eyes for two full months.

And it was the same in that morning. Plus, she was sure that Natsume hadn't been home last night. That made her worry more than usual.

She kept dialing the number over and over again until…

"I'm home." The husky voice she had expected hear, reached her ear. Soon after she had heard him, her eyes lit up automatically.

"Oh Natsume! Where have you been?!" Kaoru asked as her eyes met with Natsume's, both surprised and concerned.

"Ruka's." answered Natsume and walked straight towards the stairs, his eyes fixed on nothing.

He walked aimlessly, till he reached the door to his room. His deep red eyes, for some reason, looked redder that morning. Probably due to the long night he had had the previous day. He walked in and threw himself on his messy bed, staring at the ceiling, dreamily. He could sense that Mikan was in the house and it did hurt so much. He wondered what he would've done if it had been some other day. Some other day when Kaname wasn't there messing around with his mind. Then he probably would've broken into Mikan's bedchamber to annoy her, to check on her and certainly, to make sure that she was safe and happy. But now, no, he didn't feel like doing so. Even a single glimpse of her would bring him a hell lot of pain.

So he didn't dare take a step forward. He just lay there, idle. Good thing it was a Saturday and no school. The bad thing about it was that Mikan was also there at home that day. Natsume couldn't stand that thought even for a minute.

So he took his decision to move out. He checked his wristwatch. It was about 7:45am: nice time to wander somewhere other than his house. But he had to wait, wait till his mom got away, or there would be a full load of annoying curses coming in his way.

After about another 20 minutes, Natsume heard his mom's car being driven away from the house. He was happy, happy at last.

In 10 minutes, he was ready, again to cruise around the world.

He was on the halfway towards the living room when he heard a soft thud coming out from within Mikan's room. Hearing that, Natsume's legs worked against his conscience.

Within a few seconds, he was inside her room, searching for her petite figure which was nowhere to be found at the moment. He could feel some cold sensation running through his body. So he looked for her everywhere only to find that hazel eyed girl who he'd loved the most, kissing the floor beside her bed, totally unconscious.

**"****Mikan!" **

* * *

**Whoa! Natsume! You called her by her name! But why was she lying unconscious? Wait till my next chappie comes out!**

**Do you think this chapter is a success? Then drop a review. *puppy face!**

**I'm sleepy and I can't write more… I'll update my 13****th**** and 14****th**** chapters tomorrow. So have faith in me readers!**

**I've fallen head over heels for this story now!**

**So more to come.**

**I promise, next two chapters will bring more emotion than you've seen in any other fic! Guaranteed! Haha! **

**-Awful Nightmare!- **


	13. She'll be alright!

**13\. She'll be alright!**

_Within a few seconds, he was inside her room, searching for her petite figure which was nowhere to be found at the moment. He could feel some cold sensation running through his body. So he looked for her everywhere only to find that hazel eyed girl who he'd loved the most, kissing the floor beside her bed, totally unconscious._

**"****Mikan!"**

Natsume spoke out loud as he reached for her still body, his crimson eyes widened in horror. He took hold of her upper body with his arms firmly wrapped around her, hugging her pale white face to his hard broad chest. He didn't know what to do next; he had no clue. His whole body was numb with confusion. He never had expected something like this to happen in some random morning like this.

He looked at her lifeless face and took it in both of his hands, which were shaking with fear.

"Mikan!" He called out for her again. But no response. His heart skipped a beat. He could see the faraway look on her emotionless face, which made his cold red rubies get damp a little bit. He slightly shook her body and pressed her fragile palms with his.

But still, no response. She kept her eyes tightly closed.

Totally lost, Natsume hugged her some more and pressed his face on hers, whispering her name under his breath, his eyes closed with trepidation.

After some broken down seconds, he pulled himself together and lifted her lifeless body in his arms and laid her in bed. Then he hurriedly fetched some water and rubbed some on her face, looking deeply into her tightly shut eyes. His treatment seemed to take longer than he'd expected to heal his patient. So Natsume knelt down beside her, taking one of her delicate hands in his, caressing it gently.

Another set of anxious seconds passed between them. Natsume was about to lose his patience when he suddenly felt some movement under his gentle grip on Mikan's hand. Feeling that, he quickly removed all the physical contact he had had with Mikan's body, but still keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the brunette. In another second he could see her eyes twitching under their lids, struggling to be opened.

He could feel his anxiety passing along with her unconsciousness which had been weighing him down a few minutes ago. It took another long few seconds for her to open her eyes, wide enough to see the person whose anxious eyes were fixed on hers.

"Na-tsume?" She spoke in an exhausted voice. Hearing her speak his name, Natsume's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly took hold of her hand which was slightly shaking by now, as he looked into her hazel orbs, worried to death. Mikan was staring back at him, though her eyes were focused on his, they had a distant look in them.

"Don't speak." Natsume said as he pressed her hand, insisting.

"I…feel tired…" Mikan broke his rule, squeezing his hand with her other hand, shaking. Feeling her body terribly shake under his skin, Natsume looked away, trying hard to figure out what was going on with her.

After a few seconds, Natsume stood up, carrying her in his arms before she could protest. But to his surprise, she actually didn't protest even when he hugged her tightly to his chest while carrying her bridal style.

"Where are you…taking me…" She asked softly, but he doubted if it was really a question. It really didn't sound like a question.

"Shut up." Said he, putting an end to her talk.

Within a few minutes, they were there safely inside the car, Mikan lying her head on the shutter and Natsume taking the steer to take Mikan somewhere she didn't know. She hoped it was a hospital where they were heading.

Natsume tried hard to keep his eyes on the road as they always struggled to turn and look at a certain brunette to see if she was doing well.

He drove fast, but safe. He wanted her energetic smile to be restored to where it belonged as soon as possible. They drove for about 30 minutes and finally stopped in front of an unknown hospital.

Mikan looked around and was surprised to see that it wasn't the hospital which her momma worked at.

However, Natsume had reasons for that. He always did.

"Natsume… Why didn't we-" She was cut off.

"You wanna see her die worrying about your health?" Natsume said at once as he gave her a cold glare, which made Mikan run out of her words. She looked at Natsume who was helping her out with her seatbelt and smiled. She couldn't believe how Natsume managed to care about all the people at the same time.

_"__Natsume… You're… such a guy…" _Mikan thought as she kept her eyes fixed on him, dreamily.

"What're you staring at? Let's move." Natsume said before he got off from the car, giving her another cool glare. Mikan nodded, smiling. Seeing her smile restored to her lips was something he had been yearning for. But he didn't want to smile back, because, deep inside his heart, there was something still bothering him, holding him back.

Natsume walked to the other side of the vehicle and opened the door for Mikan to get down. He could see her body still shaking a bit so he couldn't risk a fall.

"I'll carry you." Natsume said, cold and strong.

"No… They'll think-" She was cut off again as Natsume lifted her in his arms and closed the door with his leg. Her eyes widened in amazement but she didn't dare protest. She felt nervous being carried by him in the public but she just closed her eyes and put her arms around his neck, holding on to him, firmly.

* * *

"Hyuuga." Natsume could hear someone call his name. He turned to look at a tall slender guy wearing glasses who looked much older than himself. His eyes didn't reflect any emotion so Natsume couldn't get any information from his eyes regarding Mikan's situation.

"What's wrong with her, Imai?" Natsume asked, looking directly at the physician's eyes. Hearing his question, the physician, Subaru Imai's expression changed slightly.

"I can't say anything just yet. It can be just exhaustion or…" He stopped in the midway as he looked sternly at Natsume's eyes. "Another set of tests has to be done to verify it." Subaru continued while keeping eye contact with Natsume. His eyes looked as if they were accusing Natsume for something he didn't wanna tell just yet.

"To verify what?" Natsume asked soon after he had ended his speech. Hearing what Natsume had asked, Subaru opened his mouth to say something but then again it seemed he had changed his mind. So he turned and left the corridor at once, without giving Natsume a satisfying answer.

Natsume just glared at his retreating figure and sat on one of the chairs next to some blonde long haired guy who looked of his mid-thirties. He wouldn't have chosen to sit next to that stupid-looking (according to Natsume) man, if he really had a choice.

"Don't worry… Your wife will be alright!" That blonde man broke the ice, much to Natsume's dismay.

Natsume didn't even bother to give him a stare. _"She isn't my wife you idiot!" _He replied inwardly. But that thought made him sigh. The blonde intruder wasn't satisfied yet. It seemed he wanted more.

"I understand your situation kid. Don't worry… she'll be fine! You're lucky… Your wife's so hot. I'm sure she-" The blonde man was cut off by Natsume's crimson death glare.

"You have a death wish?" Natsume asked, annoyed to death. He was having a hard time holding himself from wanting to burn his head into a crisp. This time the blonde man understood what his real situation was for the better and kept his mouth shut, hurriedly turning his head away.

Both annoyed and confused, Natsume closed his eyes, preparing himself mentally to hear what Mikan's ailment was.

It took more than 45 minutes to see Subaru Imai back in the scene. Natsume felt his presence in front of him and opened his eyes.

"Congratulations Hyuuga! You're going to be a father."

* * *

**Whoa! Thirteen is always bad! So this chapter brought the hell outta it! Haha! *wicked grin!**

**The truth is people, I really wanted to make it a bit longer, but it was such a warm day today! I hardly managed to breathe even! So please be satisfied with just this chapter for today.**

**Umm I'll try to update the next chapter ASAP!**

**Maybe in a couple of hours! Who knows! ;-)**

**Thanks for your reviews people!**

**Bear with my errors!**

**Ah! There's a contest today! Can you guess who that blonde man of his mid-thirties was? ****J**

**Please lemme know how you felt in the end! I'm soooooo excited to know!**

**:-* :-* :-***

**Kisses! **

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	14. Kyoto?

**14\. Kyoto?**

_It took more than 45 minutes to see Subaru Imai back in the scene. Natsume felt his presence in front of him and opened his eyes._

_"__Congratulations Hyuuga! You're going to be a father." _

Said Subaru as Natsume's eyes widened in terror. He felt as if he was on fire; his whole soul had started to burn down.

"Mikan?" Dropped from Natsume's lips.

"Yes." Subaru answered, looking directly at Natsume's burning crimson eyes. His voice was steady and stern, and his eyes had an accusing gaze in them.

Natsume was broken down, totally. His mind started to replay all the times Mikan had smiled at him, like the morning sun. His heart started to beat rapidly, racing like crazy. For one moment, he was scared that he'd go crazy for real.

What was he supposed to do now? How was he supposed to act from now on? He simply didn't know, but to him, one thing was clear.

_"__That bastard Kaname!" _He thought as he gritted his teeth. Natsume wasn't sure if he should hate Mikan for her stupidity or he should find Kaname and shoot him right on the head for his ruthlessness. He could feel his brain twitching and twisting yet he had no time to deal with himself; he had to face everything before he ran out of time.

"You can go see her, Hyuuga. The tests are over." He could hear Subaru say, breaking his chain of thoughts. Making up his mind to play his new role, Natsume looked up at Subaru and nodded, calmly. Seeing his calm poise, Subaru looked a bit surprised, yet he led Natsume to the room where Mikan was. Natsume on the other hand, wasn't sure if he'd be able to make it, but had already made up his mind not to hurt her by any means.

Before he entered the room, he looked at the brunette who was sitting on the white hospital bed, resting her back against a pillow, through the plain round glass on the door. Seeing her staring at the empty wall on the opposite side, Natsume felt a huge pain inside his heart. How could he just go in and yell at her for her foolishness? He just couldn't.

"She doesn't know it yet." He could hear Imai's stern voice coming out from nowhere.

"Hn." Natsume replied and opened the door at once. He walked in and closed the door behind him, softly. Now, everything was up to him.

As he walked in, Mikan turned her head and looked at him, smiling faintly.

"What did they say?" She asked as she fixed her eyes on him, yearning to know the truth about her condition. Hearing her direct question, Natsume's ears bled. What was he gonna tell her now?

"Nothing much." He said in reply, cool and calm as ever. Good thing Natsume was always good at hiding emotions.

"Nothing much? Huh? Didn't they say I'm gonna die soon?" Mikan asked mischievously as she stepped down from the bed, adjusting her dress. Seeing her getting ready to leave, Natsume stopped in the midway, a few yards away from her. His gaze was fixed upon her doll face. To him she looked younger than ever that day. How could she become a mother to a child? There was no way. There was indeed no way! _"Wait till I find you asshole!" _Natsume thought as he pictured Kaname in his eyes.

"Natsume… What're you thinking about?" Mikan asked out cutely, looking at Natsume's dreamy eyes.

"Nothing. Wait here. I gotta talk to Imai before leaving." Natsume said and turned to leave the room at once.

"You aren't hiding anything. Are you, Natsume?" Mikan asked out of the blue, making Natsume stop in the midway.

"No. Stay right here." He said as he walked out of the room, his fingers forming a fist.

* * *

"It's too late for something like that." Subaru said. "She's suffering from malnourishment. Guess she's been skipping meals for a long time. So… in a situation like this, we can't risk anything." He paused and gave Natsume another accusing look. "The best you can do is to help her raise the baby." Subaru continued. "You should've thought of these consequences before you involve in such a deed." He completed his speech, making Natsume grit his teeth again. He was being accused for something he had never committed, yet he never wanted to tell anyone that it was someone else's fault. Helping her raise the baby wasn't a problem at all, but how would she manage to live with the shame she'd gain from this? That was Natsume's only concern. People may blame him, but, no, NOT her.

"She's of age. We'll figure something out. After all, it's _my _child she's bearing." Natsume said as he looked directly into Subaru's eyes, determined. His eyes had lost the fear and anxiety they had had before a few moments ago. They were no more restless; they were steady and focused instead. Even Natsume himself was surprised at the way he told Subaru that it was _his _own child she was bearing. He had become a universal liar, for the sake of Mikan. He could bear any disgrace, he could break any law in the name of Mikan.

"If you're this firm about your decision, why won't you tell her yourself that she's…" Subaru stopped as his eyes caught someone new, peeping through the door. It didn't take much longer for him to recognize who that was.

"Hi brother." The intruder spoke as Natsume's eyes widened in shock.

"Hello sister." Subaru Imai, replied in an emotionless tone. Natsume didn't wanna turn and look at the raven haired girl who was walking in the direction of where they were, for he already knew who was coming.

"Hi there, Hyuuga." Hotaru Imai greeted as Natsume looked down and sighed, bangs covering his eyes.

"So what're you doing here, sister?" Subaru asked as he pointed his eyes on his sister and smiled falsely. Hearing his question Hotaru smiled back at her brother and turned to look at the crimson eyed lad sitting in front of the office table with his eyes half closed.

"I heard my best friend was secretly taken here by someone. So I had to come and check on the situation, you see." Hotaru said as she looked at Natsume sarcastically. But Natsume didn't bother to look back at her; he had his own personal matters to think about.

"So…what were you saying, brother?" Hotaru asked as she turned to face her brother again, concerned.

"Mikan's pregnant." Subaru Imai said without hesitating, as Hotaru's sweat dropped. Natsume still kept his eyes covered with bangs and didn't look up. His ears seemed to be used to hear those shocking words by then. This whole morning had been a shock to him, so there was no need to be shocked again.

Even before Hotaru could recover from her shock, their attention was caught by something else.

It was her, standing by the doorway, clutching her heart with her right hand. Natsume could see she was about to collapse, so he ran towards her and took hold of her shoulders.

"I told you! I told you to stay there!" Natsume said as he looked right into her teary hazel orbs, pissed off. Hearing his firm words, Mikan clutched his shirt with both of her hands and looked into his fiery crimson eyes, she could see they were gleaming with anger.

"Why… Why didn't you tell me Natsume! You lied to me! You liar!" She started to punch Natsume on his chest, crying hard and loud. Natsume stood there, still like a stone pillar, his eyes focused on her brunette hair.

"Why didn't anyone tell me! Why is it always me!" She said as she buried her head on Natsume's chest, her tears dampening his shirt. Natsume was brought back to earth by the cold sensation on his chest. As he felt her head buried on him, he couldn't help but press her some more into his skin, securing her with his arms wrapped around her back. His hands roamed around her back and finally reached for her hair, caressing it gently.

"This is gonna be okay." He whispered to her ear, unconscious.

Seeing what was going on in front of her eyes, Hotaru could feel her emotionless eyes getting damp a bit. But she was sure that it wasn't for Mikan. It was for Natsume. _"You're such a guy, Hyuuga." _She thought as she watched them hug each other with intense emotions.

* * *

It took more than a half an hour for them to make Mikan feel comfortable with her new position. If it wasn't for Natsume's convincing voice, Mikan would never have agreed to continue living.

"Stay here. Don't follow me, okay!" Natsume said before he turned to leave the room, leaving Mikan and Hotaru alone.

"Where are you going?" Mikan asked, tears rising in her already damp eyes.

"Why would I tell you?" Natsume said mockingly as he turned to face her again. "Stay right here, baka!" He added as he gave her a death glare and turned to leave.

"Don't worry Hyuuga, I won't let her come after you." Hotaru said as she patted her mini baka gun, staring at Mikan who was shivering by now.

Natsume just sighed and left the room, heading towards Subaru's office.

* * *

"Here's what you asked for." Subaru said as he handed Natsume a leaflet with some grids and pictures on it. "You'll find all the nutritional facts here. If you do what it says, nothing will go wrong with her delivery." He continued, pointing his index finger at the paper in Natsume's hand.

"Hn." Said Natsume as he took a brief look of the paper he'd been given.

"Check if she's skipping the meals again. If that goes on for much longer, she'll be in danger, needless to say." Subaru's stern voice spoke out again.

"She's in her third month now. Still there's a long way to go. Anything that would harm the baby will harm the mother as well. So don't let her take any misstep." Saying that he put an end to his speech, giving Natsume a bunch of instructions on how to be a better dad.

Giving him a slight nod, Natsume stepped towards the door.

"Don't let _her _know anything about this." Natsume said out suddenly as he stopped in front of the door.

"I won't. But you won't be able to keep this hidden much longer. Kaoru will get to know this, sooner or later." Subaru said, sitting back on his chair, focusing on his documents.

"That won't matter. For now, just keep your mouth shut." Said Natsume and walked out of the door, wondering about what Subaru had said earlier. He couldn't help but feel fatigued when he remembered of his mother. He couldn't imagine how she would react if she got to know that her favorite child was expecting her first baby. She would simply go crazy, Natsume could say that.

"Is your wife alright?" A cheerful male voice called out, breaking Natsume's world of thoughts into pieces. He turned his head to look at the intruder.

_"__This scumbag again!" _ Natsume thought as he gave a death glare to the blonde man who was standing beside him with his eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Oh… I mean no offence! Umm… I heard she's pregnant, isn't she?" The blonde man spoke without a halt, still in his cheerful voice. Hearing what he had said, Natsume's anger reached its peak.

"You overheard us, didn't you? Asshole!" Natsume said as he grabbed him by his collar, pissed off.

"Oh! No no no! Calm down kid! I'm just trying to help you." The blonde man said, utterly terrified. Hearing what he had said Natsume dropped him, his crimson eyes had started to burn with curiosity, mixed with anger.

"Help me? What for?" He asked, mockingly as he walked towards the blonde man who was trying hard to keep his distance from him.

"Listen now boy… I could see your situation right from the beginning. So I thought if I could help a young couple through such—" He was cut off buy an annoyed-to-death Natsume Hyuuga.

"Listen you old Jester! I don't have time to listen to your stories!" Natsume said in his most annoyed tone and turned to leave the scene.

"I can help you find a place to live hidden from the world!" The blonde man said out in his most convincing voice, as Natsume stopped in the midway. It seemed to have caught Natsume's attention.

"What did you say?" Natsume asked as he turned back to him, looking at his sparkling eyes, surprised.

"Yes. You heard it right. I can give you a place to live with her. I'm renting houses in a village far away from Tokyo. So I thought if you two could be my new tenants…" He stopped in the midway to see if Natsume was interested. As he was, he started his speech again, more cheerfully.

"It seems you're interested young man! Okay! Here's my card! Contact me whenever you want." Said he as he handed his card to Natsume and smiled like a gay man. Natsume just gave him a brief look of disgust and placed the card inside his pocket.

"Then! See you guys as my new tenants! Till then, bye!" Said the extremely happy blonde guy as he waved at glaring Natsume and left the scene.

After glaring at his retreating figure, Natsume took the card outta his pocket and read the contents.

"Narumi L. Anjou, huh." Natsume said as he flipped the card from one side to the other.

* * *

Some unknown hours had passed when they were finally on the road to their neighborhood. Natsume stopped the car in front of Hotaru's house and looked at Mikan, his eyes were serious than ever.

"Get down from here." Natsume said, his husky voice sounded too damn serious. Hearing what he had said, Mikan was dumbfounded. But Hotaru who was sitting in the back didn't get surprised. She could sense Natsume was up to something really serious.

"Let's go Mikan." Hotaru said as she opened the door and stepped down. She didn't know what Natsume was up to but she had silently vowed to help whatever he was planning to do, 'cause she knew Natsume was the only person on earth who could help Mikan get through this trouble.

"But… Why?" Mikan asked, as she looked into Natsume's eyes; her eyes widened with curiosity.

"You go with my plan or what?" Natsume asked, annoyed. His heart had been a total mess the whole morning, sorting things out, planning what to do and what not to do and now, she was asking questions? No, he couldn't bear that.

"C'mon, let's go baka." Hotaru jumped into the middle before Mikan could think of a reply.

"Umm okay." Said Mikan and struggled to free herself from the seatbelt. Seeing this, Natsume bent over and helped her out, slapping her hands away, gently.

"Now go and have something to eat." He said as he opened the door from inside for her to step down.

"Hai!" Mikan replied as she stepped down and smiled at his gleaming crimson orbs.

"C'mon." Hotaru said as she took the hold of Mikan's hand and led her way through the gates. Natsume's crimson eyes couldn't keep themselves from staring at _his_ brunette until she disappeared from the door.

* * *

It took more than an hour for Natsume to drive back to Hotaru's house where Mikan was temporary kept. No one knew what his plan was till he himself mentioned it to them in simple terms.

Hearing Natsume's footsteps at the door, Mikan rushed outside with Hotaru behind her.

"Natsume! You're back! Where have you been?" Mikan asked as if she were a total lunatic.

"Let's go." Natsume said as he grabbed her hand and led her way to the car, leaving Hotaru alone in the doorway.

"Natsume! Where are you taking me?" Mikan asked as she was being dragged away.

"We're leaving to Kyoto."

* * *

**So people! That was my 14****th**** chapter! Strong and Long! Haha! ;-)**

**It's like this fic isn't gonna end anytime soon. It's getting longer and longer…**

**Do you like it people? **

**Anyway! Kyoto! What will happen in Kyoto?**

**I'll give you a hint! It's the place where their real ROMANCE will start! Haha! **

**Hope for the best! **

**And wait for my next chapter! **

**Tell me if you have suggestions about where this should go and stuff like that!**

**And oh please please review! I Love reading your reviews and they are the power that keeps me attached to this story!**

**So please! Review!**

**And oh! **

**xMikanNatsumex****, ****newroz****, ****cposcabee****, ****HaCel**** and ****Timey Wimey Detecter**

**Thanks for your touching reviews babes! **

**Love you all! 3 **

**-Awful Nightmare- **


	15. I'll snatch her away!

**15\. I'll snatch her away!**

_"__Natsume! Where are you taking me?" Mikan asked while being dragged away._

_"__We're leaving to Kyoto." _

Hearing his answer, Mikan's sweat dropped. She knew she had to do something about this matter, but she never had dreamt to run away from home. She wanted an answer for her situation, but indeed, not this one.

As her thoughts and memories started to process inside her brain, her legs automatically stopped, making Natsume turn back and look at her, questioningly.

"Why?" Natsume asked, probing her now pale face with his inquisitive eyes. Feeling his gaze, Mikan looked at his eyes, directly, tears were rising in them.

"Natsume… How could I… How could I leave momma behind and… and elope with you… like this?" Asked Mikan as a tear rolled down her face and touched Natsume's warm hand which was holding hers. Natsume had known that this won't be that easy.

"Now you say it. Did you think…" Natsume stopped and gave out an exhausted sigh before he continued. "Did you think of her feelings when you handed yourself to that bastard!" He couldn't help saying it. He never had meant to hurt her but he just couldn't help but say it all at once.

Hearing his sudden outburst of words, Mikan's shower of tears stared to pour hard and fast.

"I… I know… I was wrong! But…" She stopped and looked up at his eyes, half crying. "But won't you help me get through this Natsume? I never thought my fate would be decided in one night like that! I know… I know I'm the one at fault but I… I just can't leave my family and friends behind and disappear!" She stopped with an exclamation mark on her face. Hearing her saying those words with an outburst of emotions, Natsume dropped her hand and walked towards the car, not knowing what to do next.

"Isn't there… Isn't there a proper way of doing this?" Mikan asked out suddenly, making Natsume stop in the midway. But he didn't dare answer in a blink.

"There is. But it has consequences." He said as he walked towards his car and leaned on to it, facing Mikan. Hearing his answer, Mikan beamed through her tears.

"Eh? What's that? I don't care a damn about the consequences! As long as it doesn't separate me from momma and Hotaru!" She said looking confidently at Natsume's eyes. Hearing her including only "momma and Hotaru", Natsume's heart ached. _"Tsk. She still doesn't care." _He thought, bangs covering his eyes.

"Oi, baka." He said, making Mikan pay full attention to what he was gonna say next. Then he looked into her eyes, his crimson orbs were both curious and mysterious at that moment.

"You have someone in your mind that you'd like to get married with? Other than _that_ bastard of course." Natsume asked, still looking into her eyes with the same steady expression.

Hearing him asking that question out of the blue, Mikan's sweat dropped.

"Wha—what!" Mikan asked, surprised, her eyes gaping at Natsume's burning eyes.

"Answer me." Natsume said, still concentrating on the main subject.

_"__This guy sounds so serious! What am I gonna say now! Ohhh Kami! Wait! Lemme think! Do I actually have someone in mind? Umm Kaname-senpai is… he's already gone… Umm who else! No one comes to my mind! How come!" _Mikan's thoughts started to interfere again.

"The clock is ticking." Natsume broke into the middle. Only then Mikan came back to earth.

"Uh…umm… I can't think about anyone at the moment! How come you ask such a weird question all of a sudden! And… and even if… even if I had someone in my mind, do you think that person would accept me?" Mikan asked, half complaining and half crying.

"You don't have to worry about that. That'll be taken care of." Natsume said, disappointed. He was disappointed for some unknown reason. Maybe He had been waiting for her to…name him.

"You'll make them marry me, won't you Natsume? No… That won't work. That won't work at all. No one would marry me in this condition." Mikan said, looking down at the ground.

"Then you leave me with no choice." Natsume said as he opened the door of the car and stepped in, moving to his plan B.

Mikan looked at his sudden movement, wide eyed.

"Where are you going?" Mikan asked as she stood still on the lawn, surprised.

"Home. You wanna join?" Natsume asked as he lowered his shutter, looking at her wide hazel orbs, blankly.

"Natsume no baka! You're gonna leave me behind and go?" Mikan asked, raging, totally forgetting her current condition.

"Get in." Natsume said as he opened the other door from inside, gesturing Mikan to hop in. _"I won't leave you behind, baka."_ He felt so much like saying those words, yet kept them inside for future needs. Deep down his heart, he was sure that she wasn't ready to hear them yet.

"Whoa! What! OMG! What're those!?" Mikan asked soon after she had stepped inside the car. Her shocked eyes were running through the baggage that was thrown in the back of the car, as if a hurricane had hit it back there.

"Our gear." Natsume said without turning his head to look at the stuff.

"What do you mean our gear? Were you planning to go on camping with me?" Mikan asked, terrified. Sarcasm could also be seen in her tone.

"Camping huh? With you? I won't do it even if you paid me." Natsume said, smirking.

"Me too!" Mikan said as she stuck her tongue at him and suddenly shifted to another horrified look.

"Wait! Don't tell me you… Uhhhhg! Did you search my closet?!" Mikan asked, raging again.

"Yup. You'll have to rearrange it btw. Since we aren't leaving anymore." Natsume said out coolly, focusing on the road as Mikan gritted her teeth, irritated to death.

* * *

"Here!" Natsume said as he threw one of the huge travelling bags on Mikan's bed. It made Mikan look at him with disgust.

"I really shouldn't have asked you to help me, Natsume!" She said, exhausted. Rearranging the closet was the most terrible thing on earth for her.

"You didn't." Natsume said and left the room at once, happy to see his idiotic angry bird restored to her real person. Of course, she hadn't asked him to help; it was he who had offered to help without being asked.

Mikan was left alone in her room, exhausted and… _"And what! I don't feel pathetic at all! How come! I should feel hopeless but… but I don't feel anything other than just weariness!" _Mikan was thinking. She was totally confused. It was on that day she got to know that she was pregnant, but still, she didn't feel broken apart.

_"__Why! Why am I still… dreaming about tomorrow? When my life…itself is so… uncertain?"_ Mikan thought, as she sat on her bed, looking at her so-called "gear".

"Natsume…" She spoke and smiled dreamily.

* * *

His heart was restless. He couldn't imagine what his mother's expression would be like when she heard it. Yet, he had to do this. For her. For the woman he loved the most.

Natsume was about to step outta his room when he saw his mother appearing from the door, smiling.

"Natsume… I'm so glad to see you at home tonight!" She said as she walked in, beaming with happiness. Seeing her walking in, Natsume stopped in the midway and wore his emotionless expression again.

"So… were you home all day hon?" She asked as she sat on the couch near the doorway, still smiling widely. Natsume didn't know how long that smile would last.

"We need to talk." Natsume said out of the blue, bangs covering his eyes. With that, Kaoru looked up at her gorgeous son, who looked too damn serious at the moment, surprised.

"Oh… What is it Natsume?" She asked, trying hard to peek at Natsume's eyes which were covered with his bangs.

There Natsume felt a burning sensation running through his spine, making him look straightly at his mother's curious eyes.

"I'm getting married." He said it.

Kaoru almost fell off the couch.

"What?! With… with who?" She almost yelled. Kaoru Hyuuga couldn't believe that her woman-hater son, Natsume had just said that he was getting married.

"With **Mikan**." He didn't hesitate at all. But this time, Kaoru couldn't help but stand up at once, her eye balls struggling to come out.

"Natsume! Are you outta your mind?!" She yelled, looking directly at her son's calm and cool crimson orbs.

"Nope. I guess." He said out coolly, keeping eye contact with his mother.

"Mikan is my daughter!" Kaoru said as she approached Natsume, raging with each step she took towards him. "And both of you haven't even completed your college degree. How could you say such a big thing this calmly? Answer me Natsume!" She said, pointing her index finger at her son, accusingly.

"We have no choice." He replied, his tone sounded serious this time. Hearing that Kaoru stopped in the midway.

"What do you mean no choice?" She asked, her eyes widened. She could feel something bad was to come outta her son's mouth. Natsume had to be very careful with this. He really didn't want to break his mother's heart, but he actually had no choice.

"She's pregnant." He spilled it at last, looking at his mother's shaking figure.

Kaoru thought she had started to hear things. She didn't wanna believe what she had heard. Regardless of what she believed, her tears had already started to pour like a heavy shower.

"What—what do you mean? Pregnant? My—my baby's pregnant? That—that's impossible!" Kaoru said, weeping. Now it was Natsume's time to make up an answer.

"That night, about two months ago…when you weren't here." He stopped, letting his mother imagine the rest of the story, satisfied with his lie.

Kaoru couldn't stop her hand from reaching out for her son's face, slapping him across his cool tight expression.

"Natsume! I never thought I'd have to look at my son with this much disgust!" Kaoru said, her eyes burning with sorrow and rage. "I thought I had the most decent son on earth! But you! You ruined both my reputation and family!" She shouted her lungs out as Natsume stood still, bearing all her curses calmly. He was more than prepared for this.

"You… you could've think of her—" She was cut off by the annoyed voice that walked inside the room all of a sudden.

"Natsume! You've taken my—" Seeing her mother sobbing in front of Natsume, Mikan stopped her sentence in the midway, looking at Kaoru, shocked.

"M—momma! What's wrong?!" She asked, not knowing anything. Seeing her baby girl standing beside the door, Kaoru rushed towards her and grabbed her hand.

"Tell me Mikan! Is he telling the truth? Tell me at once!" Kaoru asked hurriedly, her hands shaking with anxiety and fear. Hearing what she had asked, Mikan's eyes started to get damp.

"Tell me honey! Why did you hide this from your mom!? Tell me this isn't true!" Kaoru asked, trying hard to suppress her sobs.

"Momma…" That was all Mikan could think of saying at the moment. Her eyes had already started to sparkle with tears. Natsume on the other hand, couldn't stand this drama anymore. He had to put an end to this, this way or the other.

"You!" Natsume started, nearing the two sobbing women with determined eyes. At this both of them looked at him, surprised. But Natsume's eyes were pointed on his mother who was holding Mikan by her shoulders.

"Did you ever think of your sons feelings? Did you ever think how he felt when you always forced him to be only a so-called _good brother _to the women he loved the most? Did you ever notice how unhappy he was throughout his whole damn life? Just because of your damn ideology!" Natsume stopped, looking directly into Kaoru's shocked eyes. Hearing what her son had just said, Kaoru's throat went speechless. Mikan on the other hand was standing still like a pillar, not wanting to believe a word that Natsume had said. Her knees had started to wobble and her mind was a total mess. _"Woman? Loved the most?" _Her mind was repeating those words and phrases.

But Natsume wasn't done with his speech yet.

"If it wasn't for this baby she's carrying now!" Natsume said as he grabbed Mikan's hand and shoved it in front of his Mother's surprised eyes.

"Your son would've lived a life of a dead till his last breath!" Natsume completed his sentence, still holding Mikan's sweat oozing subtle hand.

Hearing that, Kaoru's expression changed, visibly. Her anger seemed to have replaced by regret and sorrow.

"Natsume…" She managed to say those words, shaking.

"If you…" Natsume started again, this time, looking down at the floor. "If you still wish to separate me from this woman…" Natsume said as he tightened the grip on Mikan's hand, making Mikan look at him, both surprised and shocked.

"I won't have any choice but to snatch her away from you." Natsume said and Mikan's jaw dropped.

* * *

**Hi there my dear readers! Did I keep you waiting for so long? :-( I'm sorry if I did so… But here I've given you a chapter of 2200 words! Haha pretty long in my POV!**

**Umm I actually started typing it last night and umm I wanted to make it my special gift for you on Valentine's! 3**

**Umm but now I feel like I should've given you more… ;-(**

**Sorry about the short chapter and please do wait some more to find out more about this Odd Couple! Haha **

**Bear with my grammatical errors!**

**And oh… **

HaCel:- **gotta say that you've got the same wicked brains as I! :-D**

** Katherine Kalissa Amara:- I'll explain how she got pregnant later okay? You want me to do it in the next chapter? **

** Timey Wimey Detecter:- Thanks for keeping in touch with my story!**

** Cposcabee:- Of course! Kaname's a jerk! :-D**

** Newroz:- You'll see more of Naru in the coming chapters! Trust me! ;-)**

** xMikanNatsumex:- She's actually pregnant and please try to recover from your shock! :-)**

**Thank you all for your reviews! I'll update ASAP just 'cause I love my reviewers soooooo much! :-***

**3 3 3**

**Happy Valentine's Day people!**

**BTW! I don't have a boyfriend! :'( When will I start to feel in love again… God knows! Anyway! **

**See you soon!**

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	16. Finally, at ease!

**16\. Finally, at ease!**

_"__I won't have any choice but to snatch her away from you." Natsume said and Mikan's jaw dropped._

_"__Na-Natsume! What's he talking about?" _Mikan thought as she tried hard to understand what was going on between Natsume and Kaoru. She had no idea what Natsume had been talking about all this time. But for her, one thing was clear, her being pregnant, wasn't a secret to anyone anymore. But with this drama which Natsume was creating, she had no time to be embarrassed about her situation in front of her mother.

"Na—Natsume…" Her mother spoke, both shocked and surprised. Her tears had stopped in the midway by now. Hearing his mother speak, Natsume looked up, confident as ever.

"Don't think I told you of this to get your blessing." He said and turned his head away. "I'll do this… no matter what comes in the middle." He said, looking desperate this time.

Meanwhile, Kaoru was trying hard to recover from her shock, still looking dreamily at her son. In two more seconds, she seemed to have made up her mind to face the situation without breaking down. Therefore, wiping her tears, she turned her head to look at Mikan, who was totally outta her mind right now.

"Mikan… Why… why didn't you tell me something… something so important like this? Why didn't you tell me that you and Natsume had… something going on between you?" Kaoru asked, her eyes flickering with tears. Hearing that, Mikan's head started to ache all of a sudden. _"I and Natsume? Had something…" _she thought as a ball of sweat rolled down her face. _"What's this?! This is not the real story!" _Mikan added to her thoughts as she looked at Natsume with widened eyes, not knowing what to say in return to her mother.

"There's no point in asking her now." Natsume broke into the middle, not taking the risk of Mikan ruining the whole drama. "Besides, you should've noticed it yourself." Natsume stopped as Kaoru shifted her look to Natsume, surprised.

"There're some feelings… that we can't show out in the public." Said he and turned to leave the room, still holding Mikan's hand tightly.

"Let's move, baka!" Natsume whispered to Mikan's ear before he dragged her out of the room, annoyed.

Kaoru, on the other hand, was left alone in Natsume's room, thunderstruck.

She didn't know what she should do now. She had no idea about anything, yet one thing was crystal clear. _"It was just as I had imagined."_ Kaoru thought as she looked at the retreating figures of her son and her future **daughter-in-law**.

* * *

"Natsume! What was that?! You lied to momma! She must be so disappointed by now!" Mikan cried out loud as Natsume threw her on her bed and closed the door behind him, locking it from inside. _"Tsk! This girl!" _ He thought, putting both his hands inside his pockets.

"Listen to me baka. Remember you asked if there was a proper way huh?" Natsume asked, looking at her raging hazel orbs. Hearing him asking that, Mikan turned her head away and pouted.

"You call it a _proper_ way?" She asked, not looking at him. Criticism was visible in her tone.

"Yup. And this is the only way out." Natsume said out coolly as he reached Mikan and sat on the bed, next to her surprised figure. "But…" Mikan said as she felt his body next to her, nearly touching her shoulder.

"No buts little girl. You and I…" Natsume stopped to look seductively at Mikan's wide open hazel eyes and wrapped her shoulders with his right arm, smiling inwardly.

"Are getting married." He completed his sentence, making Mikan faint, anime style.

"Wha-whattt?!" Mikan asked as soon as she woke up from her unconsciousness.

"Yup. You heard it right." Natsume said as he tried hard to keep himself from chuckling. Hearing him confirming her thoughts, Mikan started to shake unstoppably.

"WHAT! No! Natsume! Are you outta your mind?!" Mikan yelled as she looked at the crimson eyed lad with her gaping eyes. Hearing her oppose, Natsume's expression changed at once. With that, he quickly removed his arm from around her shoulders and stood up, his back turned to Mikan.

"Don't forget…" He started, bangs covering his cold crimson eyes. "That I'm trying to help you, baka!" He said and disappeared from the room at once, leaving Mikan to ponder on what He had just said.

_"__Natsume… Is he really offering me to marry him? Be—because… there's no one left to accept my hand in a critical situation like this? But…still… this isn't something really unimportant! It's a marriage after all…! How could he… how could he just throw himself into a marriage that he doesn't want at all… just because someone worthless like me is in trouble?" _Mikan thought as another tear rolled down her face. She couldn't believe that Natsume was ready to get into a marriage just because he wanted to help her out. _"Don't forget… that I'm trying to help you, baka!" _Those words started to repeat inside her mind.

_"__He sounded… he sounded so serious…" _Mikan thought as she took hold of her head with both her hands, confused.

"Ohhh! Kami! What am I gonna do now!" She cried out loud as she threw herself on the bed with a loud thud.

"What am I gonna do now…" She repeated that sentence, this time, putting her hand on her still flat belly, looking at the empty ceiling dreamily. Many things had happened just for one day. For her that day seemed like a whole year. Eventful and endless.

* * *

"Mikan."

Mikan heard someone calling her name and felt someone's breath next to her ear. With that she returned back to consciousness and opened her eyes, only to see a pair of icy violet eyes bent over her face. It didn't take long for her to realize who that was.

"Hotaruuu!" She cried like a three year-old as soon as she recognized her icy best friends face.

"Shut up, baka! You pisses me off!" The raven haired girl said as she distanced herself hurriedly from the drooling brunette.

"Hotaru! What're you doing here? What time is it now? Umm is it still the same day?" Mikan asked, totally confused.

"It's 8.00pm now." Hotaru said, looking at her surroundings. Hearing that, Mikan's eyes withered.

"It's still the same day…" Mikan said out dreamily, looking down at her crumpled dress.

"What happened with Natsume?" Hotaru asked out of the blue, making Mikan go back to that odd past.

"Ohhh Hotaru… You're here to continue that scary talk?!" Mikan asked as she pouted at Hotaru's inquisitive cold eyes.

"Why, do you think I came all the way here just to see your baka face?" Hotaru asked emotionlessly as ever. Hearing that, Mikan's rage started to overflow.

"Grrrr! Hotaru you're mean as ever! Oh yeah! He asked me to marry him!" Mikan said, irritated to death. By telling that, Mikan couldn't get the expected response from Hotaru anyway. The expected response was a series of big O's but all Hotaru said was—

"Nice idea."

"Eh?!" Mikan's jaw dropped, anime style.

"Only I feel sorry for Natsume." Hotaru said, taking a bottle outta her backpack.

"Sorry? For Natsume?! Baka! You should feel sorry for me!" Mikan said, shaking with extreme rage. Seeing her rage, Hotaru opened the bottle in her hand and started to eat her most precious crab-paste that she had kept to be used in crucial moments.

"Of course not. Natsume's gonna get married to a super baka girl who has never loved him in her whole life. So isn't he the one I should sympathize with?" Hotaru said, not bothering to look at her raging best friend.

"Hotaru-no-baka! Isn't it the same with me?! Ain't I gonna get married with someone who has never loved me too?!" Mikan asked, putting her hands on her hips, extremely irritated. Hearing her question, Hotaru stopped eating and turned her head to look at her.

"When are you gonna notice what's happening around you, baka?" Hotaru asked, throwing another emotionless glare at Mikan, who was kneeling down on the bed.

"If your idiotic mind can't understand what he's actually gonna do, at least, just try not to question him." Hotaru said, not letting Mikan answer to her previous question.

"If you can't protect yourself (of course you've proved that you can't.), just let him do that." Hotaru sounded too damn serious this time. Hearing her saying those words, Mikan's rage automatically subsided and was replaced by a teary emotion at once.

"Trust me, Mikan," Hotaru added as she suddenly grabbed her hand and squeezed it, convincingly.

"You won't regret it."

Said Hotaru as Mikan jumped forward to hug her best friend who had just now made all her worries fly away. Mikan was no longer confused. She knew what she had to do next.

* * *

"Natsume…"

He was brought back to earth by someone calling his name. He knew who that was and sat down on his bed at once, putting on his t-shirt.

"Come in." Natsume said, ready to have a deep conversation with his mother who walked inside the room in the next minute.

"Natsume… Can we have a little chat about the previous incident?" Kaoru asked, calmed down now. Natsume had expected this to happen, so he looked up at his mother and nodded. Seeing his approval, Kaoru walked towards her son and sat beside him, dreamily.

"Hmm… I feel really tired tonight…" She said, looking at the opposite wall, distractedly. Natsume knew he didn't have to say anything just yet; so he kept silence.

"I couldn't make up my mind to face Mikan yet." Kaoru said and smiled soon afterwards.

"Mom." Natsume spoke out of the blue, catching Kaoru by surprise. It'd been a long time since she heard Natsume calling her 'mom'.

"I'm not trying to say what _we_ did was right." Natsume started to go through his speech. "I'm not asking you to forgive me at all. But still, you got to forgive her." He said, giving his mother a softening look which made Kaoru's heart skip a beat.

"She…" He stopped to turn his head to look at the blank wall in front of him. "She doesn't deserve an unhappy life." Natsume said, breaking that pin drop silence with his deep hoarse voice.

"All she want is… is to be with you. So don't—" Natsume stopped to look into his mother's deep crimson eyes. "Don't avoid her. Don't make her feel lonely, just 'cause she's made one wrong move in her life." Natsume ended up his speech and looked down, trying hard to suppress his feelings.

All of a sudden, he felt an arm running around his shoulders, pulling him into a soft embrace.

"You love her so much, don't you?" Kaoru asked as she tightened the hug, making Natsume look surprised at her.

"You think your mom's that old not to see her son's heart?" Kaoru asked again, smiling this time. Seeing her smile, Natsume looked away, not wanting her to read his mind anymore.

"But the action you took to prove your love, was really bad Natsume…" Kaoru said as she stood up from the bed, again in a state of agony.

"I still can't believe my own son… did something like that." She said, her back turned to Natsume. _"But… you two remind me of a couple I knew." _Kaoru added to her speech from within her mind.

"I wish you could've waited… waited a little longer…" She said as she turned to face her son who was still sitting on the bed with his head rested on his hands.

"However… we can't forget that you've crossed the line. So…" Kaoru stopped as Natsume looked up at her face, perplexed.

"So I guess… You got to pay the price." Kaoru said and Natsume's eyes widened in surprise, not knowing what she was implying. Seeing her son's confused eyes, Kaoru made her mind to put it into simple terms.

"Don't look so terrified... It doesn't suit you." She stopped and smiled at her son, mildly.

"Go ahead and marry her…" She said at once, making Natsume choke a little. He had never expected her to say that this early.

"After all… I don't wanna make a fierce guy like you my enemy." Kaoru said out playfully and chuckled a little, making Natsume sigh in relief.

"And… I know… I'm sure… I'm handing Mikan to the rightest person on earth!"

She said and turned to leave after giving Natsume a heartwarming smile.

So finally… He was really, at ease.

* * *

He walked past her door. The lights were still on, so he walked past it again, just to check if she was crying alone. He was about two three yards away from the door when he heard the door knob opening with a crack sound. So he hurriedly turned around and started to walk in the direction of the stairs.

"Natsume." He heard a cold female voice calling out for him, making him stop in the midway. Then he turned around only to see a raven haired girl with violet eyes, standing by Mikan's door, smiling. This definitely caught him by surprise; her calling him by his first name of course. Hotaru Imai, who had used to call him 'Hyuuga', had just called him 'Natsume'.

"Imai?" Natsume asked, surprised. Hotaru could see his crimson eyes gleaming, even in that pitch black darkness. Hearing him calling her name, Hotaru smiled again, much to Natsume's amazement.

"Thanks." Hotaru said all of a sudden and walked away without another word, leaving Natsume in a shock.

After taking another glimpse of Hotaru's retreating figure, Natsume stared at Mikan's door, thinking whether he should break in or not. Staring for a few seconds, he did what he felt so much like doing.

He broke into her room without warning.

"Natsume!" Mikan yelled, her eyes widened in horror.

"Oops! Nice timing, Flatlands!" Natsume said, seeing _his _future bride in the middle of a struggle to get rid of her day clothes. Simply, her hair was woven around a button of her top which was halfway through her head, giving Natsume a front seat view of her literally not so flat boobs.

Hearing his sudden remark, Mikan shivered, her face redder than Natsume's eyes.

"Close your eyes, you hentaiii!" Mikan shouted her lungs out, standing there in front of him, immovable. Of course, she was actually immovable for her hair was stuck in her top.

"Oh… should I? You close your eyes." Natsume said coming closer. And this made Mikan go totally crazy.

"Stop right there! On more step forward and you're dead!" Mikan yelled again, threatening this time. Hearing her threatening voice, Natsume just chuckled, making Mikan go wild some more.

"I told you already. If you can't watch this, close your eyes." Natsume said out coolly as he reached out for her shaking figure and pulled her closer, making her actually close her eyes.

Seeing her slowly closing her eyes, Natsume couldn't help but stare at her lips which were tightly closed as a sudden desire passed through his brains. But he brushed it off at once and concentrated on his main business.

Then he carefully turned her around, searching for the place where she had her hair stuck on. Mikan still had her eyes tightly closed, not wanting to see what Natsume was performing on her. Within a minute, Natsume could find the spot and released her hair from the cloth at once, without her knowing at all. Then he immediately pulled down her top, placing things again in their righteous places.

Mikan was waiting, waiting to feel Natsume, but wait! Nothing happened at all.

"What're you waiting for, baka?" Natsume said, not wanting her to drive him crazy anymore by keeping her eyes closed. Hearing his sudden outburst, Mikan's eyes popped opened, shocked to death.

"Why—why didn't you… do anything?" She asked, stammering.

Hearing what she had said, Natsume smirked, coming closer.

"Why… what did you expect me to do, huh?" Natsume asked as he reached out for her face with his, their foreheads almost touching.

"No—nothing!" She said, stammering once again. Natsume could clearly see the blush on her face and that was something he had yearned to see; her blushing, for him. But suddenly, the realization hit his mind and that same realization darkened his expression, making him remove his face from hers and turn to leave.

"I'd never do anything of _that _type to a woman, who freaks out when I'm around." He said and left the room, leaving Mikan to muse upon what he had said.

"Natsume…"

She murmured as she clutched her top, which Natsume had pulled down for her.

* * *

_"__Mikan… You look really pretty tonight… That I can't keep my eyes off you…" _

_"__Oh… Umm… Senpai…"_

_"__Oh there… You've spilled your coffee all over your dress… Let me help you…"_

_"__Uh… No… Senpai… It's just a mere stain…"_

_"__No look! You can't go home like this… Let's go upstairs and clean up. C'mon, I insist."_

_"__Uh umm… Okay then… Thank you very much for your concern… Senpai…"_

_"__Oh C'mon Mikan… You don't have to thank me for everything I do. I do all this, just 'cause I like you very much."_

_"__Here… you can go to any of these rooms and clean yourself up. I'll wait here."_

_"__Uh… Senpai! What're you doing here…?"_

_"__I told you… I can't keep my eyes off you…"_

_"__But… Senpai…"_

_"__Just… Just give me another half an hour with you… Please…"_

_"__S-senpai…"_

_"__Please… Mikan…"_

_"__Trust me… I won't leave you…"_

_"__Trust me… I won't leave you…"_

_"__Trust me… I won't leave you…"_

_Trust me… _

_Trust me…_

_I won't leave you…_

* * *

**Hello there! How are you feelingggg? Haha! So there goes my 16****th**** chapter!**

**Umm I didn't wanna update this sooner, but what to do… **

**My fingers won't stop typing! Damn it! :-D**

**There's nothing much in this chapter though… ;-(**

**Umm we'll see what happens next! I'm done with my plot so… umm I can tell you for sure that this won't end in another 10 chapters. **

**Uhhhh… I dunno…**

**Anyway… **

** HaCel:- Yup. Even I didn't expect them to return home. But what to do… Mikan didn't wanna leave that sooner. It's her story, after all. :-D**

** cposcabee:- Here I've updated for you! :-) Thanks for following my story this far! Keep reading honey!**

** Timey Wimey Detecter:- Of course you could say so! Only his crust is sassy… Not his heart though! :-) Natsume-kun! Bravo! :-***

** Forever alone:- Yeah yeah! Cheers for singles! *cry **

** Katherine Kalissa Amara:- Here, guess now you know how she got pregnant! Gotta tell you… Coffee leads to many scary things! Haha! ;-) **

**I'm soo happy that I receive at least 4 reviews per a chapter! :-)**

**If you guys really love me… (My story, of course!) umm please review more and more…**

**I'll meet you soon with my 17****th**** chapter…!**

**Till then…**

**Bye!**

**Love you all! :-***

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	17. Natsume's Dream

**17\. Natsume's Dream**

_"__Natsume…"_

_"__Shhh…Don't stop me tonight…  
Don't stop me…_

_Just don't…"_ –

"Natsume…?" Natsume almost jumped off the bed, drops of sweat rolling down his face. He opened his eyes in horror; his mind still dwelling in the dream he had been having.

"Natsume?" He saw the brunette he had in his dream, bending over his sweaty face, looking perplexed. For a minute he thought it was also a part of the same dream, but brushed that thought off when he heard her voice for the third time.

"Natsume? You had a nightmare? You're sweating!" Brunette asked, concerned and shocked at the same time.

**"****Mi—kan" **Natsume murmured, still in his dreamy look, sweating like a melting ice-cream. Hearing him whispering her name, brunette's eyes widened in surprise.  
"E—eh?" Mikan asked, still bending over his still body, shocked to death. Seeing her confused expression, Natsume shook his dream away and straightened his back, going back to his usual cool posture.

"What're you doing here?" Natsume asked, calm and cool as ever, totally forgetting how he used to feel a moment ago.

"Umm… I came here…umm… to thank you!" Mikan said, trying hard to recover from her shock. Hearing what she had said, Natsume looked up at her, emotionless.

"Thank me? What for?" Natsume asked as he kept eye contact with the shocked brunette.

"For… umm… for giving up your happiness… for me… Your marriage… You agreed to marry me regardless of your—"

"You don't have to think about that." Natsume said as he looked down. _"Happiness huh?"_ He thought before looking at her again.

"You'd better get ready. No time to waste." Natsume said, looking into her hazel orbs, making them grow wider.

"Get ready? What—what do you mean?" Mikan asked, shocked once again.

"_Our _marriage, what else?" Natsume said; a hunch of soft seriousness in his tone.

"M—marriage? This sooner?" Mikan asked, her heart beating fast inside her chest.

"Why, you wanna do it after the baby comes out?" Natsume asked in a you-must-be-kidding-me tone. Hearing that, Mikan's sweat dropped.

"No… But… Are we really… Are we really planning to take a huge ceremony? I thought it'd be a discreet wedding…" Mikan said, not believing a word.

"Mom… Mom wants it to happen the way she likes. Now it's outta my control." Natsume said, standing up from the bed, topless.

"B—but Natsume… How could we—" Mikan started, as Natsume walked towards his wardrobe and took out a shirt, annoyed.

"Just quit it now." Natsume said as he shot a cool glare at Mikan, totally pissed off.

"Natsume…" Mikan said as she pointed her eyes on the annoyed crimson ones of Natsume's.

"Go prepare yourself." Said he and sighed. Then looked at her with a softened look.

"Don't think too much." He added and turned his back to her, not wanting to continue the talk anymore.

Seeing him suddenly becoming so soft, Mikan's heart stopped beating for a minute. Then she left the room, slowly, not knowing how to start the 'preparations' for _her_ unexpected wedding.

* * *

"Eh?!" Was Ruka's only response to what Hotaru had just spilled out of her mouth.

"Yeah." Hotaru confirmed, nodding seriously and making Ruka's mouth gape some more.

"B—but… How did this… how did it all happen in one day?" Ruka asked, stammering, trying hard not to collapse out of extreme astonishment.

"How could I know, bunny-boy!" Hotaru said, annoyed; he was asking too much questions.

"Ye-yeah! Just…Just asked!" Ruka said, not wanting to get killed by his ice-cold girlfriend.

However, that news had pleased him to a certain degree. He knew it was the best that could ever happen to his best friend. Yet he wasn't sure what the reason had been. He remembered how Natsume had suffered because of that girl. So how could that same girl bring him this much happiness all of a sudden? Ruka couldn't believe his ears.

"Is it that shocking, Ruka?" A new voice added to the air, making Ruka jump forward, automatically.

"Na—Natsume!" Ruka yelled, his eyes opened wide. The raven haired lad was walking towards them with his hands placed inside his pockets. Seeing his arrival, Hotaru just turned to look at her shocked bunny boy, emotionless as ever.

"Here you go, Nogi. Ask whatever you want." Hotaru said and started to search her bag for something. Natsume just walked slowly towards them and sat down on the couch, signing Ruka to sit down as well. Ruka was happy that there was no one in his house that afternoon, except for his stoic girlfriend, of course. He wanted to talk to Natsume alone and sort things out at once.

"Natsume…" Ruka said, looking deeply into his best friend's eyes, concerned. Seeing his concerning look, Natsume knew he had to sort things out for his worried best friend.

"Don't worry… Ruka." Natsume said as he smiled at him, slightly, assuring him that everything was gonna be alright. Seeing him smile after a thousand years, Ruka's heart warmed, releasing loads off his mind. But still, he wanted to know what made this huge change in atmosphere. So he opened his mouth, still looking at his raven haired best friend.

"But…Natsume… How did this happen? How did S-Sakura agreed to—"

"I'll explain you everything… after the wedding." Natsume put an end to Ruka's problem, making him withdraw with a frowned face. Yet Ruka wasn't unhappy at all. His heart was celebrating the fact that Natsume was finally getting what he had always wanted in his life, and that was all he had expected to hear.

Meanwhile, Hotaru was bored to death by listening to all this sentimental talk of the two guys sitting beside her.

"That girl," Natsume started, not looking at anybody in the living room. "That girl doesn't know how to get herself ready." He continued and turned his head to look at the violet eyed girl sitting next to Ruka, making her stare back at him.

"Help her out. Imai." Natsume completed his speech as he looked at her violet eyes as if he was making a plea. It was so unlike him to do so, yet Hotaru knew his feelings too well. Seeing his expression, stone cold Hotaru Imai, smiled, making her boyfriend lose his consciousness, literally.

* * *

The windows were banging against the wall, reacting too fast for the thunderstorm outside. He couldn't sleep; it was too disturbing. So he sat up in bed and ran his hand through his already messy hair; his eyes steady and piercing the gloom inside the ghostly room.

He had had that dream once more that afternoon. It was so confusing since he could never realize what it had really meant. Yet it was not the time to wander in his thoughts; his wedding was to take place tomorrow. And that thought made him sigh. He had been waiting for that fateful day, yet, his heart was screaming now. His mind was confused that he couldn't keep to his calm poise anymore. He could make it so far, yet, now at the last moment, he felt guilty for something he'd never known.

Recently, he'd been feeling that, what he was doing for her was something he must do at any rate. His mind seemed to have replaced the word 'help' with 'responsibility', without even asking him for permission.

The banging of the windows brought him back to earth, making him check the time in his phone.

_"__Tsk. 1:30!" _He thought, climbing down from the bed. He felt his throat running dry, making him walk in the dark in search of water.

He nearly bumped into the boxes they had prepared the previous night for their long honeymoon tour to Kyoto. His heart blazed at the thought of their honeymoon where nothing was supposed to happen at all. Natsume knew she wasn't yet ready. She would never be, yet, the thought of being together with her this way gave him a familiar smell, which made him go back to the dream he'd been having so frequently for past few days. He was sure that dream had nothing to do with reality, but still it seemed all mysterious to him.

Natsume walked into the kitchen and drank a whole bottle of water, splashing a little on his face to shake away the dreamy look from his eyes. Then he started to walk towards his wife-to-be's room to check if she was doing well in that gloomy weather. He entered the always unlocked room without hesitation and saw two sleeping figures in bed, curled into each other. He knew who that second person was. Her raven haired bridesmaid had agreed to share the bed with her in her last night being a single. Natsume watched his future wife, sleeping soundly next to her best friend, unaware of the extreme weather they were having outside.

Seeing her sleeping peacefully, Natsume's heart eased at once. When he noticed that her hand was touching her belly, he couldn't help but hope _their_ baby was okay as well. He could feel the anxiety he had for the baby she was carrying growing stronger day by day. He couldn't resist but think of both Mikan and the baby as the whole universe he had to protect by putting his life on the line.

His feelings for Mikan weren't a mystery for him.

Yet his growing feelings for the baby she was expecting, were indeed a mystery for him. He hated to think that it was someone else's blood. He could never admit to that fact. All he felt deep inside his heart was, both mother and baby were all his.

_"__They are mine."_ He thought as his dream started to flash through his eyes once again.

* * *

The sun was filling up the room, putting away the dark shadows of the previous night. The whole Hyuuga house was a total mess that morning; the air filled with grunts, yells, breaking sounds, footsteps, laughs, cries and all that sort of noises.

The brunette bride was sitting in front of her mirror, looking blankly at her own image, her eyes shaking a bit. Her makeup artist had just left the room letting the bridesmaid fill her space. Raven haired bridesmaid who was dressed in a pale pink tube dress with white roses on the hem, put her hand on the bride's shoulder, gently.

"Mikan… It's not like you're gonna leave this world in the next minute. Don't overact! Baka!" Hotaru said; though her start was gentle, her ending was emotionless and cold as ever. Feeling her cold words, Mikan looked at her one and only bridesmaid from the mirror and frowned.

"Hotaru you meanie! You don't understand! You'll get to know this feeling on your wedding day!" Mikan said, muffling her now rising cries.

"It's really okay for me to feel sad on my wedding day. I won't stand a chance to get married to someone from my own household." Hotaru said as she shot a cool glare at Mikan, emotionless as ever.

Though how much she wanted to accept the fact that this marriage won't change anything but her civil status, she couldn't keep herself from wanting to cry so hard.

"Natsume is really unlucky to get a baka bride like you!" Hotaru said as she turned to leave.

"Don't make him regret." Hotaru said before disappearing from the door, making Mikan's eyes grow wide with realization.

_"__Don't make him regret." _Hotaru's last words started to haunt her head over and over again. Thinking of that, Mikan accidently clutched her heart, wondering what to do after this fateful marriage.

_"__Natsume… sacrificed his whole life for me. He took the blame… he… he took the responsibility… But I… I couldn't do anything for him… till now…"_

Mikan was thinking, her heart beating like crazy.

"You don't have to do anything for me." Her thoughts were answered by a deep husky voice which had broken into the room out of the blue.

"Natsume…?!" Mikan spoke, surprised to see her groom before the ceremony started, dashing as ever. Her eyes stopped in his gleaming crimson orbs for a minute, still and frozen. She felt her belly celebrating his arrival, for the first time in her whole life. For her, it felt really different. She wondered if his all black tuxedo had added a different aura to his usual cool posture or was that the same Natsume she had been seeing for almost all her years on earth. Be it any, she felt as if she were melting in his gaze.

"You're blushing." Natsume said out flatly, burning her alive with his crimson flame.

"Eh?" Mikan said, hurriedly brushing away the dreamy look she had in her eyes.

"No need to worry about that. It's all natural." Natsume said out softly, not wanting to make her embarrassed on her wedding day.

"Yeah… I guess…" Mikan said, smiling like the rays of the sun, making Natsume's heart skip a beat. He couldn't believe the fact that she was, finally, happy with the marriage she'd been forced into.

"Our marriage..." Natsume started as he stood fine three yards away from her beaming figure. "Our marriage doesn't necessarily mean we have to get along with each other… physically." Natsume said and sighed inside his mind.

Hearing what he had just said, Mikan's eyes widened.

"Natsume… Why—why would you say… something like that all of a sudden?" Mikan asked, astonished. It wasn't that she had expected to get along with him physically, but Natsume's sudden statement had sounded like rules and guidelines for her.

"I don't want you to think…" He stopped and looked into her eyes again, seriously. "Of me as one of the bastards." He ended up his speech and turned to leave while Mikan stood speechless by the mirror.

"Be yourself even after this marriage. You don't have to change." He said as he stopped in front of the door.

"I'm sure, many would cherish that."

Natsume said and looked back at her. And for another short second, his lips formed a smile.

* * *

**Whoa! Deepest of all the chapters I've updated so far! Try to guess what I've tried to give you through Natsume's dream! I'm confused too. Haha! Right here, I'm experimenting with my writing. **

**In the next few chapters, many things will change along with my writing style and especially the core of this story.**

**My plot is so exciting that I can't wait to put it into words!**

**It's past midnight and I'm still typing like a total lunatic. Haha! :-D**

**Please feel free to ask me anything regarding the story's plot.**

**More mysteries to come!**

**Keep your hopes!**

**cposcabee, Katherine Kalissa Amara, Timey Wimey Detecter, ****HaCel**

**Thanks for reviewing my story, as always!**

**Love you guys so much!**

**Wait for my other chapters!**

**Kisses! :-* **


	18. The familiar Kiss

**18\. The familiar kiss**

The crowd was filling inside the little church like bees; noisy and hasty. The pale pink and white decoration of the church had been the topic of the day between the guests, until a certain pair of dazzling crimson eyes entered the church, smiling and nodding at each and every person she knew and didn't know.

"She must be really happy today... Her gorgeous son is finally getting married!" Some woman whispered to another's ear, loud enough to be heard by the others as well.

"But who's Mikan Sakura? Do you know her?" Another woman spoke, making her husband give her a death glare in return.

"No I haven't seen the bride for myself yet... But I bet she's the most beautiful and the luckiest girl on earth!" A girl answered the previous woman's question.

Kaoru Hyuuga on the other hand, was listening to all these conversations with a wide smile on her lips. Her heart was so much at ease, 'cause she was benefitted at both sides, one being her son and the other being her daughter. She walked towards the altar to give some instructions to the priest and turned to the wedding crew to find that her son hadn't joined them yet.

"Ruka-kun? Where's Natsume?" She asked, worried; her beautiful complexion darkening a bit. Hearing her talking to him, Ruka bent down and whispered something into her ear, making her smile again, relieved. Ruka, the best man of that day's event, was very busy doing everything possible on his best friend's behalf.

"Ruka-kun! You look great today!" Ruka heard someone crying out loud. He turned his head only to see Mikan's whole lot of classmates had arrived at the church, awed by the decoration and the wedding theme.

"Uh... err... Shouda?" Ruka said, shocked to see Mikan's sworn enemy's arrival at her wedding. Seeing his expression, Sumire Shouda knew she had to explain why she had come to see Mikan Sakura getting married to one of her greatest expectations, Natsume Hyuuga.

"It's not like I've come to see that idiotic Sakura's wedding dress! I... I just came here to see Natsume-sama!" She said, her eyes forming hearts. Of course, many girls had accepted the invitation, just to see that oh-so-cool Natsume Hyuuga, in his wedding suit.

"Why are they taking so long, Ruka-kun?" Yuu Tobita, Mikan's class representative asked, worried as Nonoko and Anna nodded in unison.

"They are having an important conversation, I guess." Ruka said, blowing away the worried atmosphere from the church air.

"Kawaiii! Bride and bridegroom must be making plans for their future!" Nonoko said, looking dreamily and Anna nodded hastily to confirm her thoughts.

All of a sudden, Ruka felt somebody tapping on his shoulder from behind, making him turn around to see who the poking guy was.

"Err... You must be Ruka-kun! Umm Hi I'm Natsume-kun's travel agent, Narumi!" The gentle looking blonde man spoke without a halt, making Ruka's mind become a total mess.

"Tr—travel agent?" Ruka said, stammering. He'd been never told about a travel agent by Natsume.  
"Oh yeah! He's to fly to Kyoto right after the wedding, right? I'm the one who's working on that!" Narumi explained as Ruka's mind got hit with realization.

"Oh... I see... So how can I help you?" Ruka asked out politely.

"Their luggage must be transferred before they get there. My men are here. You have to grant permission for us to access the luggage." Narumi said, gentle and soft.

"Oh... Okay... I hope you know the directions of the house." Ruka said in an official tone.

"Of course! Then we'll be leaving! Thanks Ruka-kun! Adieu!" The blonde man bade farewell and left the church, smiling.

_"Natsume... So you're leaving all of us behind..." _Ruka thought as a sudden pain attacked his heart.

* * *

"Natsume... It's time." Natsume heard someone calling him from behind.

"Hn." He replied and walked in the direction of Mikan's room once again.

"You're supposed to leave first and wait for her." The raven haired girl spoke again, making Natsume stop walking for a moment.

"Who'd take her then?" He asked, surprised. Since both of their fathers weren't alive, Hotaru also wondered who'd walk her to the altar.

"Didn't Mrs. Hyuuga say anything about that?" Hotaru asked, concerned.

"I'll take her." Natsume said, cold and stern.

"But the tradition—" Hotaru started and was cut off immediately by an annoyed Natsume.

"Needn't worry about that." He said and walked inside Mikan's room at once.

"Whatever!" Hotaru said to herself and left to get into the car.

* * *

"Look! They're coming!" Someone spoke out loud, excited as everyone's heads automatically turned in the direction of the couple walking through the huge church doors.

Her hand was wrapped around his tight elbow, her eyes pointed on the red carpeted floor. She didn't want to look up; she felt as if her cheeks were burning. She never had thought it would have been this difficult to walk down the aisle, breaking through the whispering stares of the onlookers.

"Don't care them." The tall crimson eyed lad whispered to her ear, his lips almost touching her pale earlobes. The heat was rising among the crowd which was already stunned by the idea of the groom walking the bride towards the altar.

He could feel her body shuddering from time to time; her arm twitching and twisting under his hold. Once or twice, she almost fell on the floor, making Natsume hold her tight by her waist. For a minute she closed her dancing eyes and prayed this whole thing to be over in a blink of an eye.

"It'll be over soon." Her thoughts were again answered by the person holding her by her waist, gently.

"Natsume..." Mikan said as she looked at his dazzling crimson eyes, gleaming more than ever. Seeing the confident but gentle look in his eyes, Mikan felt safe, safe and happy after a long thousand years. Her mind had recently been forcing her to realize the fact that, she was entering the safest zone possible on earth, by choosing to hold his hand.

"Just keep walking, slow flatworm!" Natsume said as he gave her a mischievous glare, and looked at the other side at once, making Mikan's rage start to boil inside her belly.

"Natsume no baka!" Mikan cried out loud, totally forgetting where she was and what they were doing.

"Shut up, little girl!" Natsume said and gave her another cool stare, making her dance in anger under his tight hold.

"Looks like the family happiness has already begun." Kaoru whispered to the couple as they passed her smiling figure with a little bow.

Once they arrived at the altar, the priest started the wedding service, making Mikan shake some more. The whole thing sounded so serious to her. Her heart couldn't bear them all at once. The priest was scaring the hell out of her. Natsume on the other hand, was listening to him calmly. Mikan couldn't say if he was actually listening though. Natsume was someone who'd usually get bored in this kinda events, yet that day, he looked solemn, much to Mikan's surprise. _"It's his wedding after all!"_ She thought and accidently yawned a little.

"What're you doing?" Natsume asked as he squeezed her hand, bringing her back to earth. Mikan just pouted and pointed her eyes dreamily at the priest. He was continuing his long story, unaffected by Mikan's drooling and yawning.

"The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people."

Mikan felt her eyes closing little by little. Seeing her sudden change, Natsume pinched her again.

"Stay awake! We sure can _sleep _later." Natsume whispered to her ear, making sure the priest won't hear him. Hearing what he had said, Mikan's eyes widened in horror.

"Sleep later? What do you mean! You dirty fox!" Mikan said under her breath.

"Looks like you've got what I meant." Natsume said, smirking.

"Dream on!" Mikan almost yelled, making the priest frown at her.

"I require and charge you both, here in the presence of God, that if either of you know any reason why you may not be united in marriage lawfully, and in accordance with God's Word, you do now confess it."

The priest said and looked at the couple with a stern look, waiting for them to answer. He looked pissed off by the endless argument which had been going on between man and the woman he was about to tie in marriage.

"Why is he looking at us?" Mikan asked, scared if he had heard something they had been talking about.

"Just ignore." Natsume said and glared back at the priest, poking him to continue the service. The priest then turned to the bride, making Mikan's sweat drop again.

"**Sakura Mikan, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?" **The priest asked and Mikan's eyes widened at once. She'd known this would come, but not this sooner. Mikan stood speechless, waiting for Natsume to pinch her again. But this time it wasn't Natsume.

"My dear child... Give your answer!" The priest said, giving her a cold look which made her come back to consciousness at once. He was getting sick of it all.

_"I'm actually... actually getting married!" _Her heart started to beat so fast as she looked at the person standing beside her. _"I'm getting married... to Natsume?" _She couldn't believe her senses. Yet, her lips did the talk.

**"I will."**

Hearing her say, 'I will', Natsume's heart froze for a minute. He put his hand inside his pocket, not wanting to show his slightly unbearable emotions.

With her answer, the priest smiled and turned to the groom.

"**Natsume Hyuuga, will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"**

**"I will." **There came the answer without hesitation; bangs covering his eyes. Deep down his heart he felt each and every drop of his blood celebrating the moment, yet he wasn't sure if it had been the same with his mistress.

Mikan on the other hand was going deaf by listening to all this questions and answers. She had to clutch her gown tightly to prevent herself from falling.

Her bridesmaid was noticing all this and was smiling under cover, thinking how much of an idiot she was. Deep down her soul, she was really happy for her best friend. She knew, finally Mikan had found her best destination in life. There was no one better in the world she could entrust Mikan to than Natsume.

The blonde best man, on the other hand was visibly smiling, his eyes not leaving Natsume's tall figure in front of the altar. Knowing how much he had suffered in his life so far, he prayed for his happiness to bloom forth, with the step they were taking that day towards the future.

Then the time came for the exchange of wedding rings, which were to seal their bond forever with the blessing of God. So the priest pointed his eyes at the veiled bride and the crimson eyed groom standing in front of him, taking out the rings in his hands. Then he started asking for the blessings of God on those fateful gold rings, holding out the rings in front of the couple's eyes.

"**_Bless, O Lord, this ring to be a sign of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."_**

He prayed and handed one of the rings to Natsume, which he took without hesitation and looked at Mikan's veiled eyes with a steady look.

She could feel his burning eyes sinking into hers as his hand touched hears, taking it in his. He felt her hand shudder as he took it in his, softly. He slid the ring slowly into her ring finger, pinching him inside his mind to confirm that it wasn't another dream. He saw her eyes widening under her misty veil; he couldn't say if she was happy or sad. It was done, as a pearly tear rolled down their mother's eye. She was happy, for both of them. She didn't care what had brought them all here; all she cared about was her children's happiness, which she was sure that they'd gain this way.

Then it was her turn. She took his hand in hers and looked at his eyes, as if asking for permission to carry out the orders.

"Hurry up!" Natsume whispered, making it easy for her to make up her mind to go on. Getting his message, Mikan slid the piece of gold into his ring finger and held it tight as a tear dropped from her hazel eyes, on to Natsume's skin.

"I'm sorry!" Mikan said, unintentionally, looking into his surprised eyes with tears. Hearing that, Natsume just grabbed her by her waist and leaned forward, making the priest lose his words.

In the next second, his lips were on hers, sucking on them softly, making Mikan just fall in his embrace in front of thousand eyes.

"I—I di—didn't say it yet!" The priest said, stammering as he watched the kissing couple before his eyes.

"You don't have to." Natsume said as he stopped for a while and started to kiss her fully on the lips again.

Mikan felt her knees wobbling under her puffed white gown; her weight was totally on Natsume's arms. She felt as if she weren't alive anymore. But her lips weren't numb at all; they responded very well to his fiery kiss.

That was the first ever official kiss they had shared, yet for Natsume, for some unknown reason, it felt so familiar. He felt as if it had happened before, just the same way. His mind was confused at that thought, yet he didn't wanna think about that but savor the moment to its full length. _"Have we... done this before?" _Both of them wondered.

The kiss lasted for minutes, giving the onlookers a long lasting show.

All the crowd was staring at the couple with wide eyes and at the end all of them clapped their hands together, celebrating the love of a freshly married, young couple.

Hotaru Imai was surprised, to see that her dummy friend was responding to his kiss. "Finally!" She said as she grabbed her bunny-boy's hand and squeezed it, smiling.

* * *

**Hiii my readers! Oh... here I am with another sudden update! Umm gotta tell you, the best parts are still ahead! :-D**

**Umm my chapters are pretty short, aren't they? The case is that when I finish typing one part I feel like sharing it with you guys at the very moment! IS that bad? :'( Should I wait long and update a hell lot at once? I dunno!**

**Anyway! Again there's nothing much in this chapter yet I hope you guys enjoyed it in to a certain degree! :-)**

**Umm I know you guys are confused about the previous chapter, Natsume's dream, but wait I'm gonna explain it at the right moment! :-) **

**HaCel:- No no no dear... Don't worry honey... That's not gonna happen! I assure you! But something unexpected is on its way! Beware! *evil grin :-D Oh... Did I scare you? Umm anyway, I love your reviews HaCel! Kisses! :-***

**Katherine Kalissa Amara:- Yeah! Exactly! That was what I was thinking too! She loves him, yet she isn't so sure if she really does. :-***

**Thanks a bunch for your reviews guys! Love them!**

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**N.U. Sakura Yukihime, SabishiiSekkai, animaJapanKpoplover, iiAriya, kuroyuki051700, nej24, newroz, pinkus-pyon, sakura183, shayne1531, xMikanNatsumex**

**Gotta thank you guys too! Love you all soooo much! **

**I'll be back with my 19****th**** chapter!**

**Till then, stay calm! **

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	19. The familiar warmth

**19\. The familiar warmth**

The grand dining table in the Hyuuga house was a total mess that evening. Many of the visitors still hadn't left and were feasting on various food items that were thrown here and there on the table. The main couple had to remain there (under their mother's scary orders) until the last guest left, and were totally exhausted, listening to all those insignificant conversations of the invitees.

The groom especially, was totally annoyed and was fuming under his breath, making his mother glare at him time to time.

The time passed along with those annoyed sighs and fumes, leaving only the terrified bride, teeth gritting groom, their still smiling mother, exhausted blonde best man and still feasting holy bridesmaid.

"Aren't you gonna stop that?" The best man asked, pointing his nearing-to-collapse eyes at the icy bridesmaid who was fully occupied in empting a divine dish of crab.

"No." Was the answer came from the crab girl.

Being unable to stand it anymore, the crimson eyed groom stood up at once and walked away, both his hands placed beautifully inside his pockets. Seeing him walking away, the bride sighed and placed her whining head on the table, exhausted.

"Mikan..." Her now mother-in-law spoke, making her lift her head and smile.

"You look feverish. I'll ask Natsume to cancel today's trip. Travelling overnight won't be good for you in this condition. You guys can leave in the morning. Spend the night here..." Kaoru said in a convincing tone. The feast had taken longer than they had expected. So the trip to Kyoto was far from being accomplished that day.

Mikan was more than just happy to hear that. Her body was aching from being hugged by more than two hundred people and her cheeks were screaming in pain due to smiling at everyone from morning till evening.

"Thanks momma..." She said and placed her head again on the table, painfully.

The other pair sitting at the table was sinking in silence, while one kept on eating like the next day was gonna be the end of the world.

Kaoru couldn't help but smile secretly, seeing how Ruka tolerated Hotaru's actions without ever criticizing her one bit.

Smiling, she stood up and went to Mikan's side. Then she put her hands around her shoulders, making her lift her head.

"Come with me... I've a tiny little story to tell you..." Kaoru whispered to her ear and smiled brightly. Hearing that, Mikan became too curious and stood up at once, her eyes widened a bit. Seeing her interest to hear her story, Kaoru turned to Ruka and Hotaru, smiling beautifully as ever.

"Ruka-kun... Hotaru-chan... Go and rest whenever you want okay? You know the rooms, right?" Kaoru asked.

"Sure... Mrs. Hyuuga!" Ruka replied, politely as ever while Hotaru just nodded and smiled brightly, much to Ruka's surprise.

Within a few seconds, Mikan was inside Kaoru's room, both of them sitting on her bed, their hands intertwined with each other.

"Mikan... I'm not trying to make you feel sad on your most special day... Yet this is something I must tell you... Before you step into your new life..." Kaoru said as she bent forward to kiss her porcelain temple, tears rising in her eyes.

"Momma..." Mikan said out emotionally, her eyes also had already started to get damp. Her heart was scared about the thing her mother was gonna say in the next few minutes. Seeing her terrified expression, Kaoru's face lightened and she pinched her baby girl's rosy cheek, smiling.

"My stupid angel! This isn't a horror story after all! All I'm gonna tell is something regarding your mom and dad..." Kaoru said as she squeezed Mikan's hand, wanting to make her smile. Yet, the sudden mention of her mom and dad, made a sudden pang inside Mikan's heart.

"Mom and dad?" Mikan repeated the words Kaoru had said, tears rising in her hazel eyes, again.

"There, there! I won't continue with the story if you're gonna keep that face any longer!" Kaoru said; a hint of mischief in her tone.

"Umm... Okay... I won't cry!" Mikan said as she wiped her face hurriedly, convincing her mother to go on with the story.

"Okay! Good girl! Now listen!" Kaoru said, positioning her back against a pillow and making Mikan move closer to her.

"Your Mom was my best friend in High School." Kaoru said, watching Mikan's expression carefully before she continued.

"She was just like you... I remember how she often got punished by our maths teacher..." She stopped and laughed a little, looking at Mikan's large excited hazel orbs.

"She was 3 years younger than me. Both of us never had thought we'd end up being best friends forever." Kaoru said as Mikan drew closer to her, eager to hear more.

"But that little brat, however, fell in love with a crazy teacher we had in school. Yukihira sensei." She stopped and sighed.

"She was only 19 when she got pregnant... with you..." Kaoru said and looked at Mikan's eyes. "I wasn't there at school around this time. I was already graduated." She stopped and squeezed Mikan's hand, her eyes focused on nothing. "I regret not being able to contact her after I left school." Kaoru said as a tear rolled down her now pale face. "After a while... I heard that Yuka and Yukihira sensei had moved to some coastal village where Yukihira sensei... died of a car-crash..." Kaoru completed her sentence with so much difficulty and looked at Mikan's teary face, sorrowfully.

"After your father's death, Yuka was left alone with you inside her womb." Kaoru stopped and sighed painfully, making Mikan's heart ache some more.

"I remember how fragile she was... even when we were still schooling. She definitely couldn't have bared them all." She said, looking dreamily at the ceiling.

"When I got to know of everything, you had been already adopted by some family named Sakura, right after your birth. They had given you your name, Mikan Sakura." She stopped and patted Mikan's head, lovingly.

"What had happened to my mom?" Mikan asked, muffling her cries forcefully.

"She had given up her life... to give birth to you... Mikan..." Kaoru said as she bent forward and hugged her tightly, comforting her sobbing child.

"But what I wanted to tell you was this..." Kaoru said as she broke the hug and placed her back again on the pillow.

"That you have to live your life happily... because your mom... gave up her breathing for you... Mikan... You gotta keep smiling... you gotta keep becoming stronger, day by day... because you owe your life, to your mom..." Kaoru said and hugged her again, much more tightly than before. She remembered how she had taken 6 months old Mikan into her house when Natsume was nearly two years old.

"Now now... Honey... stop crying..." Kaoru said as she straightened Mikan's body with her hands, making her look at her.

"Do you know... When I took you home with me that day..." Kaoru said, smiling brightly. "It was the first day I saw my boy smiling... for real..." She said as she looked into Mikan's widened hazel orbs with awe.

"He was the happiest among us... that day..." She paused again and looked dreamily at a framed photo she had by her bed side.

"He ran up and down... screaming like a little plane... Then he'd come again and pinch your little nose, saying 'mommy look! She's red like a tomato!'" Kaoru said and laughed, her dreamy eyes pointed on Mikan's. Hearing of Natsume's little pranks, Mikan couldn't help but smile through her tears, her heart lightening a little.

"When are you guys gonna stop talking nonsense?" A cold voice broke into the room, making both women look in the direction of the door.

"Ah Natsume... We were just talking about you!" Kaoru said, winking at Mikan mischievously, much to Natsume's dismay.

"Yeah, I heard it all." He said, annoyed and turned to Mikan before he continued. "Is she gonna come or what?" Natsume asked; though his eyes were pointed at Mikan, his question was pointed at his mother.

"Ah...It's your bridal night, after all..." Kaoru said, turning to Mikan as Mikan started to shake, visibly. Then suddenly, Kaoru seemed to have remembered something.

"Oh Natsume... Haven't you canceled the trip for tonight? You can leave tomorrow... Mikan doesn't look—" She was cut off.

"I've already done that." Natsume said in his horse voice and turned to leave, signing Mikan to follow him. "No time to waste." He said and smirked before he disappeared from the door.

Seeing all this, Mikan was turning red like hell. Her hands had started to tremble and her lips were stuck together, not letting her speak a word.

"Oh C'mon honey... It's nothing to be embarrassed about... He's your husband after all..." Kaoru said as she patted Mikan's shoulder, raising her spirit.

"He's your husband from now on... You gotta make him happy... He'll do the same... That was what you guys promised before God earlier today... Remember?" Kaoru asked, making Mikan stand up with difficulty. Once she had stood up, Kaoru led her way outta the door, smiling at her, lovingly.

"But anyways..." Kaoru said and winked at Mikan who was walking in silence through the corridor by now.

"Don't forget you're pregnant!" Kaoru said and closed the door, smiling, making Mikan tremble some more.

* * *

"You're late."

Mikan heard her husband's hoarse voice, breaking the silence of the room. She could see his crimson eyes piercing the darkness, reaching for her terrified hazel orbs. But suddenly, she remembered something he had said in the morning before their wedding.

_"Our marriage doesn't necessarily mean we have to get along with each other... physically." _

Those words started to repeat inside her mind. _"Does that mean... this is all... a fake?" _Mikan thought, her hand accidently clutching her dress over her heart. _"Does that mean Natsume... doesn't want a marriage life with me?" _She thought as a tear fell onto the floor, without her knowing at all. Seeing Natsume lying in bed with his crimson eyes gleaming in the dark, yet knowing that she had to keep her distance because of what he had said earlier in the day, Mikan was losing her mind. For her, it felt like something impossible to do at the moment. _"Oh kami... What's wrong with me...? I feel like... I feel like... Ohhh...! I can't take it anymore!"_ Mikan thought as another crystal tear rolled down her face, slowly.

"Come here." He said in his deepest husky voice, breaking the ice between them and making Mikan's ears go deaf.

She stood there, immovable for another few seconds before she made her mind to move forward. She walked towards the bed and sat on it, slowly, not knowing what she was doing at all. At the very minute she sat down, his heart began to beat so fast and a sudden feeling of urge covered his whole mind. For some reason, he felt as if it had happened before; that very moment had occurred before. His heart started to race at that thought. It was the same feeling he had had when he had kissed her at the wedding. The urge he was having to touch her now, and the urge he had had to kiss her then had the same mysterious qualities in comparison. Mikan on the other hand, was facing the same confusing situation, not knowing why her body was reacting against her mind.

Just a single touch of Natsume's hand, had made her lie down in bed with him. They didn't know even when their lips met each other once again for the day. She didn't even notice that she was ripped off her dress after a few brief minutes. It was only when she opened her eyes, she realized her situation at the moment. She could feel Natsume's warmth against her skin, burning it slightly with an unknown desire. Feeling that, her lips touched the skin of his chest, making Natsume kiss her neck in return, passionately. With that, a sudden question popped up in her mind.

"Natsume..." She said out softly, making Natsume's half closed fiery eyes focus on her.

"Hn?" Natsume made his typical response as Mikan looked into his eyes, innocently.

"Don't you feel like..." She stopped in the midway, not wanting to ruin the moment by completing the sentence.

Noticing her sudden change of mind, Natsume drew her closer to his body again, wrapping his arms around her, holding her gently.

"Like this has **happened before?**" He completed her thoughts and kissed her forehead gently, making her snuggle into his skin some more.

* * *

"Oi Nogi!" Someone spoke out of the blue, making the peacefully sleeping Ruka jump off the bed, terrified.

"I—Imai!" Ruka shouted out in terror. If he hadn't recognized the voice, he could've thought she was a ghost.

"Shhh! Don't make any noise, idiot!" Hotaru said as she shot him a death glare.

"W—what are you doing here!" Ruka asked, stammering, making sure not to make any unwanted noise.

"Come with me." Hotaru said, gesturing him to follow her. Seeing this, Ruka lost his mind.

"Eh? What are you—" He was cut off by the icy voice of his annoyed girlfriend.

"Don't you wanna see what they're doing?" Hotaru asked as she turned to face her bunny boy's now terribly blushing face.

"Ehh? Imaiii!" He managed to say before he was dragged away.

Within a few seconds, they were inside Mikan's room where Hotaru had been sleeping for the day. On the bed she had her laptop turned on which was playing the video of the freshly married couple's bridal night.

"Ehhh! Th—this! H—How did you! Whyyy!" Ruka asked, trembling in embarrassment.

"I was just curious." Hotaru said, emotionlessly as ever.

"B—but!" Ruka was cut off by the scene that had just played on the tape.

"Look! Oh-my-God! Mikan!" It was all she could say before Ruka collapsed to the floor, anime style.

* * *

**Soooooo! Yeah! 19****th**** chapter's over.**

**Umm should I say more about it? :-D**

**I could've written more, yet I've rated this 'T'. So gotta go with it. Haha...**

**Don't worry! More to come...**

**More and more mystery chests to open!**

**Anyway!**

**I'm sooo happy about your comments, my loving reviewers...**

**And ah! There's one review which caught me by surprise! A guest reader had got me right! If you're reading this, I wanna tell you that you've seen me through! Haha! :-D Love you! :-***

And of course, as always, my hugs and kisses goes especially to my fellow author/readers Timey Wimey Detecter , cposcabee, HaCel and Katherine Kalissa Amara! For reading and reviewing my story! XOXO

**Love you guys so much! Keep reviewing! :-***

**I want you guys to guess what's going on in the story just like how my guest reader has done! Give it a try! :-)**

**Please help me reach 100 reviews before this story ends! *puppy dog eyes :'(**

**Umm I'll be back with my holy 20****th**** chapter, in a few days! So please do wait!**

**Hope you're satisfied for now! Sorry for making it short again! (Actually my mom came shouting at me so I had to stop out of the blue, sorry about that babes!)**

**Bye for now!**

**Love you all!**

**-Awful nightmare-**


	20. Leave Taking

**20\. Leave Taking**

The morning was still and serine.

He woke up to the soft rays of the morning sun and the ceaseless chirping of the crazy birds of the dawn. He felt a little stiffness in his body and a dry sensation inside his throat. Clearing it a little, he stretched his body to reach for his phone and found out that it was impossible for him to move; something was holding on to his bare chest. It was only then he realized that he had got himself a wife the previous day. He was married, and had been sharing his bed with a woman, the whole night. His head confirmed the thought when his eyes met with those tightly closed eyes that were half buried in his skin. His heart skipped a beat when he felt those arms tightening around his body, snuggling into him some more. She must've felt his movements; it looked she had no mind in letting him go so soon.

To assure her that he won't go, Natsume wrapped his arms around her warm porcelain body and held her close for another ten long minutes. Her brunette hair was all over her face, and he suddenly felt a hair inside his mouth as well. He smiled at the memories of the previous night and was scared a little if he had, somehow, hurt _their _baby.

With some trepidation, Natsume reached out for her belly, and touched it as if to see if it'd been alright. It felt warm and alright, so he removed his hand and checked if she had sensed his touch. No sign of danger, yet.

Everything that had happened the previous night, had resembled the dream he had been having for the past couple of months, to a certain degree. His mind was confused at that thought, yet he liked the thought of his dream coming true with no delay. As long as she was happy and content, he had nothing to worry about. He was so happy to feel that both of them shared the same eagerness to be with each other, at the moment.

Being sunk in his thoughts, he didn't notice that her eyes had been flickering for a while, struggling to open up. It was only when she opened her mouth and yawned, he realized that she was about to wake up. He could imagine how embarrassed she would be to realize her situation at the moment. He smiled at that thought, his heart lightening like a feather.

Wanting to create some humor, Natsume removed his arms, before she opened her eyes fully in the next minute.

"Won't you just let go off me?" He asked from the beet red brunette, making her blush more furiously. His tone had no emotion but fake annoyance, put in order to make his wife go crazy in their first morning together.

"Ehh?!" Mikan cried as she rushed back to her side in bed, grabbing the large white blanket all with herself and covering her exposed skin with it hurriedly. Seeing her crazy moves, Natsume tried hard not to burst into laughter, biting his lower lip hard and tight.

"W—wh—y are you making such a face!" Mikan yelled again, clutching the blanket with both hands over her chest, trying hard not to let Natsume catch a glimpse of her already _seen_ important things.

"Huh? You're sitting on my phone! Move!" Natsume said, acting irritated, in front of his brand new wife. Hearing that, Mikan's ears bled; he was picking a fight in their first morning!

"How am I supposed to move! You idiot! I'm all— Ugh!" Mikan yelled again, her eyes widened in terror. If only she had some clothes on!

"Oh yeah. Why did you have to remove all your clothes last night?" Natsume asked, smirking inside his mind, wanting to get the right words outta her mouth. Hearing him pointing the whole thing at her, Mikan lost her mind.

"It wasn't me, you idiot! Are you muddleheaded! It was you!" Mikan cried her lungs out, pointing her index finger at Natsume's gleaming crimson eyes, clutching the blanket with one hand. Hearing her nasty report on the previous night, Natsume felt so energized from inside.

"Ah? I don't remember such a thing. Besides, why would I do something like that?" He said, as he stood up from the bed, smirking.

"Wh-a-t! You don't remember? Oh god! I hate you Natsume!" Mikan cried out loud, her eyes getting damp a little. Seeing his joke had gone so far, Natsume decided to leave it at that.

"Whatever! Hurry up and move!" He said as he turned around to make her feel comfortable. Sensing his sudden ceasefire, Mikan started to climb down the bed, dragging the blanket along with her. Then she hurriedly wrapped it around her body, making sure not to leave a single spot uncovered. Natsume kept on focusing on something on the opposite wall, the whole time.

"Alright now. Take your damn phone." Mikan said, sounding a little less irritated now.

"Thank you." Natsume said as he reached out for his phone and took it in his hand, along with something pink.

"Guess this is yours, strawberry pattern!" Natsume said as he throw her underwear onto the couch near where Mikan was standing, beet red.

"Why did you have to take it out now! Hentaiii!" Mikan yelled again, trembling in embarrassment. Her pride and her honor was severely damaged by now. Of course, it was her husband, yet how could she bear to be humiliated to such an extent!

Seeing her beet red face, Natsume smirked again.

"My phone was trapped in it." He replied coolly, smirking more than ever. Hearing his cool reply, Mikan just trembled some more and finally stood still, pale like a ghost.

"Go get your stuff ready. We'll leave in 30 minutes." Natsume said, breaking the ice between them, making Mikan fume again in anger.

"In thirty minutes! Holy crap! I won't make it!" Mikan yelled once again, much to Natsume's dismay.

"Just take a quick bath and get into some civilized clothes. You sure can't make it like that." Natsume said, pointing his forefinger at Mikan's 'uncivilized' piece of cloth as he completed the last sentence.

Just when Mikan started to compose her reply with a deep sigh, the door of the room banged opened, making both of them look in that direction with Mikan's mouth half opened.

In the next second, Kaoru Hyuuga appeared from the door, to face a messy, topless Natsume and a white blanket wearing Mikan.

"O-h my! Oh... I'm sorry guys! Bad timing!" Said she and slipped out of the room at once, closing the door behind her again, not wanting to see more of the scene. Seeing the whole thing, Mikan started to blush beet red over and over again, her mouth still half opened. Natsume just stood there, indifferent.

Kaoru on the other hand was happy to see her children had had an awesome bridal night, and had a broad smile on her lips by now.

"Natsume... There's someone waiting for you in the living room. Looks like he's that lovely travel agent you told me about." Kaoru said, staying behind the door, not wanting to break in again.

"I didn't say he was lovely." Natsume said annoyed.

"Ah... of course you didn't. Just put on a shirt and go down. He's lovely, anyways!" Kaoru said before she left the door, making Natsume become annoyed some more.

Meanwhile, Mikan was still standing by the bed, still like a pillar.

"Why, you're waiting for me to give you a bath?" Natsume asked from the stunned Mikan, whose mouth was still half opened.

"Ehh... Err... Ugh! Tell me! How did you manage to... get into those pants!" Mikan was still worrying about the dress code problem.

"Eh? What kind of a question is that?" Natsume asked, annoyed for real. They were running out of time and she was still making unnecessary remarks.

"Just tell me. You looked civilized in front of momma... but I! It was all your fault!" Mikan said, tears rising in her flickering hazel orbs. Seeing her situation, Natsume felt a sudden pang in his heart.

"You fell asleep so early. So it couldn't be helped." Natsume said and looked into her teary eyes before he continued.

"Don't be that much of an idiot. We're married now, **Mikan**." He said before he grabbed a shirt and left the room, letting his words keep pushing repeat button inside her mind.

Every time he called her by her name, Mikan's heart started to beat so fast. It had occurred more than once, recently.

Maybe yes, she shouldn't have overreacted, now that they were, actually married.

* * *

"Ah! Natsume-kun! Good morning!" Natsume heard the cheerful voice of the blonde man, Narumi who was sitting on the couch, sipping on his mother's awesome black coffee.

"Hn." Was Natsume's usual monotonous reply. Of course, Narumi had never expected him to say Good morning in return.

"So... Are you guys ready? We've booked the second flight of the day for you. You gotta be there before 11.30am. It's already 8.30 now." Narumi said, still smiling vigorously, much to Natsume's dismay.

"What's so funny about that? We'll be ready by 10.30. You can wait inside the vehicle." Natsume said without a halt, making Narumi spill some coffee on the saucer.

"Oh... Umm... Okay... I'll get back to the car once I'm done with this coffee." Narumi said, not wanting to get killed by his scary new customer. Knowing his clumsy wife, Natsume didn't wanna risk a thing by keeping this stupid looking man any longer inside their living room. He couldn't say just when she'd walk through it, giving him a front seat view of something he shouldn't see. So he had to eliminate this bug, this way or the other. Yet his coffee didn't seem to dry up anytime soon. So Natsume stood there, waiting; waiting for him to finish up and leave his sight. Seeing Natsume standing there watching him carefully, Narumi felt like starting a conversation with him; the worst idea of all.

"Thinking of which," Narumi said as he placed the cup again on the saucer, wanting to drag Natsume's attention. "I couldn't see your wife even during the wedding. She must've looked really pretty in the wedding dress. Sadly, we had to leave before the bride came out. The luggage thingy—" Narumi was cut off by Natsume's most fierce death glare of all times!

"Just finish the damn thing and get the hell out of here!" Natsume yelled, his crimson eyes gleaming in anger, making Narumi gulp the whole thing at once.

"Hai! I'm done! I'll be waiting outside, Natsume-kun!" Said an extremely scared Narumi before he disappeared in the next second.

"Why did you have to scare him so much, Natsume? Poor guy. He couldn't even taste my cake!" He heard his mother's kind voice, coming out of nowhere.

"Needn't worry about that." Natsume said as he turned to leave the scene, annoyed. Seeing him starting to walk away, Kaoru rushed towards him and placed her hand on his shoulder, turning him around.

"Why?" Natsume asked, softly this time.

"Can you give me ten minutes alone with you, son?" Kaoru asked, her eyes softened with overwhelming emotions.

* * *

"Mikan, are you naked?" Mikan heard her best friend's emotionless voice from behind the closed door.

"Oh no no Hotaru...! Please come in!" Mikan cried out joyfully, happy to hear that her stoic best friend had come to see her all by herself, at last. With that, Imai Hotaru walked in with a tiny box in her hand. She walked towards the now fully dressed Mikan, emotionless as ever.

"Oh Hotaru... Thanks for coming to see me... before I leave..." Mikan said, getting all emotional as she went on with her talk.

"I heard you guys are leaving the town for good. And I bet you don't know the reason?" Hotaru asked; she was totally confused over the idea of them leaving the town for some faraway place.

"Hmm... I dunno... It was all his idea... And I don't like it one bit!" Mikan said, her eyes nearing to cry.

"Then this probably would be the last time we see each other, huh?" Hotaru said, calm and cool as tears started to drop one after the other from Mikan's eyes.

"Hotaruuu..." Mikan cried in pain and jumped forward to hug her best friend, not caring about her baka gun anymore. But surprisingly, she wasn't hit by it this time and was received gently by a pair of arms, lovingly.

Hotaru was hugging her back, making Mikan's pain become worse.

"Hotaru... I don't wanna leave you!" Mikan said as she sobbed in Hotaru's arms, totally broken down.

"If it was Natsume who decided to take you there, it probably should be the best thing to do at the moment. Just follow him." Hotaru said, her emotionless eyes also flickering a bit by now.

"B—but... Promise me... You won't forget to call me text me and contact me in every way possible! Please don't let me cry alone! I it wasn't for this damn situation I'm in, I won't have... ever agreed to Natsume." Mikan hesitated a little before saying the last few words.

"You sure about that?" Hotaru asked as she broke the hug, looking into Mikan's eyes, sarcasm was thoroughly visible in her tone.

"A—about what?" Mikan asked, wondering what Hotaru was talking about.

"That you won't have agreed to Natsume, if you weren't blah blah blah?" Hotaru asked, sounding serious this time.

But Mikan, knowing what she was coming to, wanted to bypass the question by asking of something else.

"Ne Hotaru... What's in that box? A farewell gift?" Mikan asked out cutely, wisely bypassing her oh-so-hard-answer question.

"Sort of." Hotaru answered, not happy about Mikan skipping her scary question.

"Sort of? Lemme see it!" Mikan stretched her arm, wanting so much to see what Hotaru had taken with her to surprise her. Seeing her eagerness, Hotaru just handed it over to Mikan, besides, she didn't have a reason to keep it away from her anymore.

"What're these?" Asked Mikan whose eyes were no longer colourful or curious after seeing the contents of the tiny box, Hotaru had brought for her.

"They are memory cards, baka!" Hotaru said, sounding irritated.

"Yeah I can see that. But why would you give me memory cards of all the types of gifts on this earth?" Mikan asked, unhappy, as she shook the box to see if there were something else by any chance.

"There's nothing else in it. That one contains the video of your wedding." Hotaru said. "Thought you'd treasure it someday, though you have no idea about it today." She added and sealed her lips again. Hearing her say, 'you'd treasure it someday' Mikan wondered if that day had already come for her. She suddenly felt so happy to feel that she'd been given the memories of her accidental wedding by her best friend. It may have felt like nothing before the previous day, but today, she felt so much like watching it over and over again.

"Thanks... Hotaru..." Mikan said, tears rising in her eyes, once again.

"Don't you wanna know what the other chip is?" Hotaru asked, wanting to make her curious again.

"Oh... What's that anyways? It must be the video of my last B'day party!" Mikan cried out in joy, much to Hotaru's dismay.

"Oi baka! Why would I waste one of my chips to record something unimportant like that? It's your bridal night." Hotaru said as Mikan's jaw dropped, anime style.

"Ehhh? M-y W—What?!" Mikan managed to say, her heart had already stopped beating.

"You heard it right. Ruka and I thought that'd be precious to you as well." Hotaru said out flatly, distancing herself a little from lava oozing Mikan. She knew that volcano would erupt any minute.

"Hotaruuu you meanie! YOU and... Ruka-Pyon!? Oh Kamiii! I don't wanna live any longer!" She yelled, cried, stomped around the room, making Hotaru disappear from the door without making a noise.

* * *

Natsume was walking towards the stairs, keeping his eyes focused on the old steel keys he was carrying in his hand. His mind was still pondering about the thing his mother had told him a few minutes ago. To grant her wish, however, he'd have to put an end to that Narumi's agreement.

His mind was a mess so that he didn't notice his best friend's arrival at his face.

"Natsume..." His best buddy spoke, emotional as ever.

"Oh... Ruka!" Natsume expressed his surprise, as he put the keys inside his pocket, hurriedly.

"So you're actually leaving..." Ruka said, his eyes were flickering with anxiety.

"There's no choice, now that I'm outta College and jobless." Natsume said, not wanting to cause much pain to his best friend.

"But... Why can't you start doing something here? Why would you have to leave everything behind and move to some unknown place?" Ruka asked, tears rising in his sapphire eyes.

"Ruka... If I had a choice, I won't be doing this." Natsume said and sighed before he continued, "This is the best I can do for her. And for mom as well." Natsume said as he put his right arm on his shoulder, assuring him not to worry about his decision anymore.

"If it is so... There's nothing I can do to change it... But Natsume... If you need a friend, make sure not to call anyone but me!" Ruka said in a shaky tone, looking into Natsume's confident yet worried crimson orbs. "I'm happy for you and Sakura... You guys finally got to end up being together... It was like a miracle!" Ruka continued, wiping his tears quickly.

"I know... You guys won't ever be apart again... She loves you Natsume... I was really happy to see that..." Ruka said, smiling through his tears.

"To see what?" Natsume asked, not sure what Ruka was referring to.

"E-h?" Ruka said, shocked to see that Natsume had sensed something in his previous sentence. Seeing Ruka's shocked state, Natsume, however, decided to stop asking for further explanations.

"Whatever. We'll be leaving in 30 minutes. You'd better go talk to her, or she'll break into tears, saying 'Ruka-Pyon didn't even waved at me before we left home!'" Natsume said, mockingly before he left the scene, smiling at Ruka.

* * *

"Ah... Kamogamo river bank? It's so close to my estate!" Narumi said, focusing on the piece of paper Natsume had handed him. "There are several huge mansion houses around the place, I'm sure we'll find that without much trouble!" He added, still trying to locate the exact place from within his mind.

"Hn." Natsume responded, monotonous as ever.

"Since you guys are gonna live close by, I'll be able provide the repair service without much trouble as well... So... Not being one of my tenants won't hurt me so much as I thought it would." Narumi said in relief.

"It's my mom's wish, after all." Natsume said, a little emotional here.

"Oh... yeah yeah... You definitely can't go against her word! She's such a lovely woman after all, but definitely... a little scary!" Narumi said with some hesitation.

"Shut it and start the engine. We're leaving." Natsume said, annoyed.

"Oh... but... she isn't here yet! Your wife!" Narumi said, worried to death.

"She'll come once you've started the engine." _"Tsk. These women take so long just to say goodbye." _ Natsume added from within his mind. However, he was sure that she'd come running to him once she heard the engine.

Narumi gestured to the driver and the engine started in the next second, making Mikan run towards the vehicle, carrying a huge backpack and wiping her unstoppable tears with one hand.

"Hey! Don't leave me!" Mikan yelled as she reached the vehicle, panting heavily. Seeing her carrying another huge backpack, Natsume's eyes narrowed in annoyance.

"What's inside this?" Natsume asked, pointing at the huge bag, disgusted.

"Why?" Mikan asked as she tried to open the door of the vehicle, still panting a hell lot.

"Don't you know our luggage is already there safely in Kyoto?" Natsume asked as he opened the door for her, slapping her hands away, coolly.

"Momma gave me some food! Trust me, I won't share them with you!" Mikan pouted through a tears, making Natsume's expression lighten a little and got into the car, clumsily as ever. There was no way Natsume could further argue with her once she had given out such a cute remark. So he got into the car silently and tried to push the bag away which was there between them like a big dark barrier, annoyed. But Mikan on the other hand slapped his arms away and kept it there right between them, smiling inwardly. Natsume just glared at her and looked away, cursing her backpack under his breath.

"So Mikan-chan... Natsume-kun! Finally, we're leaving for Kyoto!" Narumi announced, cheerfully as he winked at puffy eyed Mikan through the mirror, making Natsume grit his teeth, annoyed.

"Aren't we supposed to take the flight?" Mikan asked as she turned around to see if she could still see their mom waving at her. But no, they had moved so fast in a millisecond.

"Natsume-kun asked me to cancel the tickets since the flight was delayed due to extreme weather." Narumi said in an official tone, making Mikan gape in confusion.

"Don't worry... Kyoto is just a few miles away from here. If we travel at this speed, we'll be there in less than 5 and a half hours." Narumi said, comforting Mikan. Natsume just kept his eyes shut, leaning his back on the seat, not wanting to listen to the ongoing conversation.

"So... Mr. Narumi... Won't we stop to have our lunch?" Mikan asked out politely, making Narumi turn and look at her face.

"Ah... Of course! We will!" Narumi replied, cheerfully as Natsume opened his eyes and shot him a death glare. His cheerfulness towards Mikan, was giving him headaches.

Three out of six hours had passed between them.

Mikan was totally unconscious and was drooling on her big bad traveling bag while Natsume was half awake, his face covered with one of his favorite comic books.

Narumi, on the other hand was snorting noisily, much to Natsume's dismay. The only one who wasn't asleep was their poor driver. Natsume actually felt sorry for him; not because he was awake, but because he had to bear with Narumi's crazy snorting.

A sudden growl released to the air, making Natsume remove the book from his face and look at the brunette sleeping soundly next to him.

"We're stopping for lunch." Natsume announced in his hoarse voice, making all sleeping figures, except for his wife jump back to consciousness.

"Ehhh? Natsume-kun... But there's no restaurant around here!" Narumi said, wiping his still drooling mouth.

"I saw one back there." Natsume said pointing at his back.

With that, the car turned and drove towards the little restaurant near a small parking lot.

"Ah... what a cute little restaurant! Natsume-kun! Believe me, you got such a smart choice!" Narumi said before he got down from the car, smiling sheepishly.

Natsume just growled at his idiotic remark and turned to his wife, who was still sleeping like a new born baby.

With some trepidation, he touched her porcelain face and cleared the hair thrown here and there over it, gently. And when he felt that she was moving, he just pinched her nose, making her open her eyes at once, annoyed.

"Ouch! What was that for!" Mikan cried out loud, making Natsume smirk, visibly.

"Huh. Your stomach's so annoying! Go stuff something inside and put an end to it!" Natsume said, trying hard to act annoyed before his cute little wife.

"Oh... Is that so..." Mikan said, smiling brightly at her husband, all of a sudden.

"What's so funny about that?" Natsume asked, knowing that he had been caught off-guard.

"No! Nothing! C'mon **husband**! Let's go!" Mikan said cheerfully as she dragged him by his sleeve, her eyes filled with a strange bliss which she hoped would last forever.

* * *

**Hiiii my dearest readers! I'm back with the longest chapter in my recorded history! Haha! :-) 4000 words! Oh my gosh! Haha I'm overreacting! :-D**

**Leave taking! So how was it?  
Umm I took so long to update this time, didn't I? ;-(**

**I'm sorry... In our country, we had a grand power failure yesterday! It was really fun! Haha! :-D My laptop has become a desktop these days, meaning it doesn't have its battery anymore! Haha! :-D So how am I supposed to type without power huh? So you gotta forgive me. *wink.**

**The best part of the story is yet to come. So wait! **

**I know this chapter wasn't mind-blowing at all! ;'( Please wait till the next chapter comes out. I'll post it tomorrow for sure!**

**Now that they're happily married, don't think the story's over, okay guys?**

**And ah... I still have to blow away your confusion, right?**

**So wait wait wait!**

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**-Awful Nightmare-**


	21. Spooky Revelations

**21\. Spooky Revelations**

That evening had been so quiet and desolate for the people who were left in the Hyuuga house. Kaoru Hyuuga stuck herself inside her room for the rest of the day, flipping the pages of her albums and scrap books, over and over again. She kept on memorizing how her children had grown up and now were married to each other, which felt almost like an illusive dream to her. Her family was again split apart, yet this time it was for the better. She sighed at that thought, relieved. Yet keeping her tears away was out of question.

Being sunk in her emotions, she didn't hear the doorbell ringing. But Hotaru who could never be fooled by emotions, heard it well so clearly and volunteered to open the door.

"Oh. It's you guys." Hotaru said, no hint of surprise was there in her tone.

"Yeah. Looks like the celebrations are all gone. Are we late?" The young man spoke as he looked around, trying to spot something relating to yesterday's celebrations.

"Very." Hotaru said, as she stepped aside, letting them enter the house. Then the two of them entered, their faces hanging, unhappy.

"Actually... We tried so hard, but... couldn't make it on time..." The blue haired guy spoke in regret as the pink short haired girl hit his shoulder, angrily.

"Ouch! Misaki! What was that for?!" The guy cried, patting his bruised shoulder.

"That was for your carelessness, Tsubasa no baka! It was all your fault! You made us miss the damn flight!" The girl shouted at the guy, her eyes gleaming in extreme anger.

"Now now... Where's the couple? Don't tell me they're gone too!" The guy asked, hoping the ice queen would give him a satisfying answer.

"They left in the morning." Hotaru said, not giving him a chance to breathe in relief.

"What the! Oh god! We came all the way here, just for nothing?" Tsubasa said, running his hand through his hair, disappointed, greatly.

"It seems so." Hotaru said as she sat on the couch while other two kept standing there, still as pillars.

"Where have they gone? Mikan didn't tell me anything about a honeymoon plan!" Tsubasa said as both of them sat down on the couch, not wanting to hurt their legs anymore.

"It wasn't a honeymoon plan. They left Tokyo for good." Hotaru said, making the other two collapse to the ground (not literally).

"B—but! Where to?" Misaki asked, her eyes dangling with curiosity.

"Kyoto. Someplace near Demachi-yanagi." Hotaru replied, emotionless as ever.

"Kyoto? Why would they move to Kyoto, of all places?" Tsubasa asked in surprise, his eyes visibly widened.

"Looks like Natsume has some plan inside his mind." Hotaru said and yawned, bored to death.

"Oh! Andou senpai? Misaki senpai? You guys..." Another voice added to the air, making them all look in that direction.

"Ah... Ruka-kun... You're also here! But the couple isn't." Tsubasa said in a sorrowful voice, making Ruka understand the situation.

"Oh... Umm... Sakura worried so much about you guys... But you can still go and meet them in Kyoto in a couple of days, I guess." Ruka said, wanting to blow away their unhappiness, smiling.

"Yeah... We are planning to settle down here in Japan for the rest of our lives, starting today... So that won't matter at all... We can go see them anytime now..." Tsubasa said as he pointed his eyes on Misaki, smiling mischievously. And that had caught Ruka by surprise.

"Oh... That means you guys are gonna get married as well?" Ruka asked as Misaki blushed, slightly.

"Well... yeah... If these little brats are also getting married out of the blue, why shouldn't we?" Tsubasa said, taking Misaki's hand in his and squeezing it a little.

"Of course. Why don't we get married too Nogi?" Hotaru jumped into the middle, making Ruka blush madly. It was indeed a sudden confession; definitely, Ruka couldn't stand that.

"Ehhh?!" That was all Ruka could say, awkwardly. Seeing Ruka's embarrassment, Tsubasa and Misaki gaped at each other, dumbfounded.

"Anyway! Does anybody know why they got married so suddenly?" Tsubasa asked, breaking the awkward silence that had been there between them after Hotaru's sudden gush of words. However, that question made everyone go speechless again.

"Oh... Looks like nobody knows!" Tsubasa said after a while, smiling sheepishly.

After an hour or so, Misaki and Tsubasa got into their car and drove off, their heads filled with curiosity and a thousand unsolved questions.

"What do you think is the reason?" Misaki asked from a very confused Tsubasa whose eyes were terribly focused on the grimy road.

"I don't know. But I wonder..." He stopped as he took the turn to their neighborhood, his tone had some mystery in it.

"Are you thinking of the same thing as I am?" Misaki asked, curious.

"I told you... I don't know! But I feel guilty." He replied, he sounded a bit worried now. Seeing his emotions, Misaki hurriedly took hold of his hand, as if to convince something.

"Oh C'mon... There wasn't anything we could do about that..." She said in a soothing voice, trying hard to comfort her fiancé.

"But...! We could've told them before everything went wrong!" Tsubasa said, his voice shaking a little. His mind was interrogating him over and over again.

"Look! We still don't know if that was the real reason! So how could you just yell like a stupid bird even without having confirmed it?"

"Yeah but..."

"Let's go meet them in a couple of days. But don't try to jump into the middle like a crazy guy." Misaki said as she looked at him, convincingly.

"I hope they are happy together..." Tsubasa said as he focused on the road again, miserably.

* * *

"OMG!" Mikan cried out loud, flying in awe, making Natsume hold her all four limbs, in order to keep her still.

"This house is sooo huge! And sooo... scary?" Mikan added as she looked at Natsume with widened eyes, wanting an answer.

"Why?" Natsume asked, looking at the horrible look on his wife's face.

"I—is this! Is this the place we're gonna live?" Mikan asked, pouting like a little child, much to Natsume's dismay.

"Yup. And anything looks scary in the dark. Needn't worry." Natsume said as he pushed the button near the huge gate, annoyed.

"Oh! Is someone living there already?!" Mikan asked as a scary looking bat flew over her head, making her shiver in horror.

"Yup. And it's Dracula." Natsume said, giving her a cold glare, his crimson eyes gleaming in the dark. Hearing his scary remark, Mikan just rushed behind him and buried her face on his back, clutching his shirt, making Natsume feel a sudden warmth in that cold night.

"What're you doing?" He asked, suppressing the sudden set of emotions that had risen from her sudden move.

"I'm hiding!" Mikan answered, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"Don't worry. Dracula won't feed on someone idiotic like you." Out came Natsume's cool answer without a delay. But Mikan didn't have the courage to shoot him back at the moment; she was too damn scared and Natsume knew it. Therefore, he didn't shook her away, but let her cling on to the back of his shirt like a stupid leech.

The surroundings were calm and quiet, except for the rustling sound of the cold wind blowing at their faces; probably coming from the river which was lying just beneath the grand house.

Within a few brief minutes, the huge gates opened with a huge crack, making Mikan snuggle into Natsume's back some more. That sound reminded her of a horror movie they had once watched together, back at home. Yeah. This experience could be called thrilling for one day. But how was she supposed live in that house forever? It might have looked beautiful in the mornings, yet at night, it was indeed scary. The height of the cone shaped roof, had reminded her of the house of , in 'Despicable me'. Her heart thumped so fast as the gates fully opened, revealing a very spooky shadow of a tall slender person/ ghost/ phantom or whatever. Mikan couldn't say who that exactly was.

"A-a-a g-ghost!" She decided, finally, looking at the dark figure over Natsume's shoulder, terrified.

"Idiot! It's the keeper." Natsume said as he moved forward, Mikan being dragged along automatically. As they walked in, the keeper stepped aside and bowed at them, respectfully.

"Welcome home, Natsume-sama!" He said in an official manner, raising his head at once. Just when he had said that, the lights came out, making the whole thing visible to Mikan as they were. The mansion house was displayed before their eyes with all its grandeur, though the spooky look still remained a little.

"Whoa! It's so grandddd!" Mikan cried out loud, making the guard notice her for the first time since they had walked in. She wasn't hiding behind Natsume anymore and was gaping at the house, much to Natsume's dismay.

"And Mrs. Hyuuga too." The guard added to his welcome speech. But Mikan didn't hear it at all; she was awed by the tremendous look of the house too much.

"My name is Mochiage. The keeper of the mansion house. Ibaragi-san is waiting for you there inside the house. Please go in, sir." The guy, who looked to be in his mid-twenties spoke with an air of extreme politeness as he bowed for the second time at Natsume.

"Why is this man keeps on bowing at us like crazy?" Mikan asked from Natsume, as they walked in through a huge set of doors, which he ignored with a frown.

In another minute, they were there inside a grand living room which was lit up fairly well compared to the outside. Mikan's mouth kept open for the whole time since they had entered the place, much to Natsume's annoyance. There was a huge set of stairs in the middle of the XXL living room, leading the way to a totally visible second story, full of doors and passageways. For Mikan, it all remembered of the same horror movie she had referred to earlier.

"Who's Ibaragi anyways?" Mikan asked, curious to death.

"Our clerk." Natsume answered, flatly.

"What do you mean _our _clerk? Wait a moment! Do you know this place? Have you lived here before?" Mikan asked, not wanting to believe anything that was happening right now.

"This is my ancestral home." Natsume said, annoyed of being questioned too much.

"Your what?" Mikan asked, her eyes widened in terror.

"You talk too much." Natsume said as he sat on one of the dusty old couches, leaving Mikan stand behind a blackened samurai statue, alone.

"There's something behind you." Natsume said and smirked within his head as Mikan turned her head only to see the old filthy-looking samurai staring at her feeble little face.

A weird sound was heard and in the next second, she was there sitting next to a smirking Natsume, burying her face on his sleeve.

"Na—Natsume-sama!" Natsume heard someone calling out for him from a distance. A woman was standing at the foot of the stairs, stunned by the compromising position the new couple was in.

"Hn." Natsume replied, merely positioning his eyes on the curly haired woman, who was standing there still like a pillar, having no courage to move forward. Feeling her presence, Mikan also looked up at her, amazed to see someone cute like her inside such a scary building, alone!

"Who's she?" Mikan asked, awed by her beauty. But she definitely looked older than they were.

"The clerk." Natsume was fed up of describing everything she pointed at.

"Ah! The clerk! She's so cute!" Mikan cried out loud, making the other girl blush furiously. Not wanting to hold back anymore, Mikan jumped forward and ran towards her, wanting to make friends with the first female she saw around that spooky ancestral home.

"Hi Ibaragi-san! I'm Mikan Sa—"

"She's Mrs. Hyuuga." Mikan was cut off by the cold hoarse voice of Natsume, who was still sitting on the couch, unaffected.

"Ah... I see... Umm... I'm Nobara Ibaragi, the clerk of the Hyuuga Estate." The girl introduced herself to Mikan, smiling warmly.

"Nobara-chan!" Mikan said out cheerfully, as if she had known her for years. Nobara blushed a little and smiled in return.

"Are the rooms ready?" Natsume asked, not carrying about Mikan's foolish attitude.

"Yes, sir... But I'm sorry they're not in their best condition since the repairmen haven't arrived here, yet." Nobara said, her tone shaking a little.

"Needn't worry about that. I've already contacted another repair service. They'll start their work starting tomorrow." Natsume said out coolly as he stood up to walk in the direction of the rooms, climbing the huge gray wooden stairs.

After he had disappeared to one of the rooms upstairs, Mikan looked at Nobara, smiling again.

"How long have you been working here, Nobara-chan? Don't tell me you lived all alone in this creepy house all the time!" Mikan asked as she dragged her by her hand towards the couch, making her sit down on it with her.

"My whole family worked for the Hyuugas. It was my father who was in this position before me. I took it from him, just in last year." Nobara cleared her doubts away, looking gently at Mikan.

"So you don't live here?" Mikan asked, curious to know more of this mysterious house.

"Of course I don't! I live a few miles away from here. I only come here to check on things and to see if the guards and the keepers are doing their job properly." Nobara said, not wanting to confuse Mikan by telling all her duties but a few.

"Ah... I see... Umm... So do you know Natsume? I mean, more than just his name?" Mikan asked, just to see if this cute girl and Natsume had a past together. Her heart was thumping at that question.

"Oh... Umm... Yeah... Natsume-sama was just a baby when I saw him first. I was only three years old when Kaoru-sama gave birth to Natsume-sama. I remember how everyone celebrated the birth of the rare crimson eyed heir, who looked just like his mother." Nobara said, her eyes fixed on the opposite wall, dreamily.

"Ah... I never thought Natsume's family was this rich!" Mikan said dreamily as Nobara looked at her eyes, surprised.

"You didn't? But I heard you've been living with him for about 19 years!" Nobara said, her shock was visible in her tone.

"Yeah... But they never told me anything about this." Mikan replied, her eyes wondering around the living room, capturing everything they saw in each moment.

"Umm... Kyoto is simply all about tradition... Noble houses and imperial palaces are all over the place. The Hyuugas were well-known samurais of the traditional japan. Families like mine were their followers. Though the place has changed and urbanized a lot in the course of time, the status of the Hyuugas' remains unharmed." Nobara went through the history book of Japan, making Mikan drool in astonishment.

They were gaping at each other, sinking in the most awkward silence till the doorbell rang, making them both jump forward, automatically.

It was Mochiage from earlier, with a bunch of men carrying boxes and traveling bags in all hands.

"The luggage has arrived." The keeper said, signing the men to move forward.

"Ah... Keep them there and leave. We'll unpack them in the morning." Nobara said in an official tone and turned to Mikan, smiling gently.

"Please go upstairs and rest, Mrs. Hyuuga... We'll call you down for dinner. I'll be staying here tonight, so don't worry." Nobara said politely and looked at the men to guide them through the living room.

_"Ugh! This house is more like an office! No one seems to talk to me in good terms!" _Mikan thought as she climbed the stairs, gritting her teeth.

"Why?" She heard her husband speak from the bed as she entered the room, slamming the door behind her.

"What?" Mikan asked, emotionless for the first time in her whole life.

"Your face. It's uglier than ever." Natsume said out coolly, as Mikan walked towards the couch and threw herself on it, utterly disappointed.

"Yeah I know." She replied as she closed her eyes and sighed.

"This bed feels much better than the one we had back there at home." Natsume said out flatly, watching her from the corner of his eye.

"Is that so." Mikan said, not wanting to continue with the conversation. Natsume felt really bad about that improvement.

"Guess the luggage has arrived already." Natsume spoke again, much to Mikan's surprise.

"Yes." That was her only answer. Natsume was now, restless.

"Wanna cruise around?"

"Eh?!"

* * *

**Hiii people! SO there goes my 21****st**** chapter! :-)**

**Everything is settled for now... yet what will happen next? Does anybody have an idea? :-O**

**I don't have an idea as well! :-D No no I'm just kidding!**

**Anyway! It was a flat chapter, sorry about that... Yet can't jump into romance all the time, can I? :-( But if you're wise enough, you'll find so much feelings inside my dumb words... Haha I pour my whole heart into them. :-D Really funny!**

**OMG! I love my reviewers! And I love how you guys share the same interest as me! Gakuen Alice! Bravo! :-***

**No fanfic can beat the real story, right? Even mine cannot. All the credits for bringing out a bunch of awesome characters like Natsume, Mikan, Hotaru and Ruka, goes to Higuchi sensei! I Love her so much! :-* If it wasn't for her, I won't ever have thought of writing a story. I owe her much! **

**And I owe my loving reviewers as well! If you weren't pushing me to write this, I would've given up continuing with this story so long ago.**

**You're the fire in my soul! –a ridiculous image, isn't it? -)**

**Anyway! Gotta answer you guys! :-)**

**Ah... HaCel you had sent me a PM! And you got me crazy for you there! :-* Thanks hon! I love how you describe me in your reviews! They are really touching! I know my writing isn't that good to suit your comments, yet actually... they warm my heart! Keep Reviewing! Please! :-) Love you so much! **

**iiAriya:- Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! That was the best comment I've ever received on my appearance! Haha! I really didn't expect anything like that. I being an Asian sure look uglier than you guys over there! So don't envy me! ;-D But thank you so much! I accept your advice wholeheartedly! Love you so much! You sure made me blush furiously! Haha! It was really really really warm! Your review! Please stay with me! **

**Katherine Kalissa Amara:- Whoa! That indeed is a weird question! But umm... well... No one can say this is bad and that is right. Your feelings should be unique about everything you have around you. Haha! But there's nothing incest in my story huh? Natsume isn't her real brother after all... That's how it goes... :-D Feel free to ask anything! ;-) Love ya!**

**jrenamae:- Hey! Thanks a bunch my friend! You are my fan? I can't believe that! I really have fans? *tears rising! I'm just a mere writer here... Maybe you said you were a fan of Gakuen Alice! It can't be mine right? Am I overreacting? Haha! Be it any, I love your reviews! Please keep reading! And support me till the end! Love ya! :-***

**cposcabee:- No no no! Calm down my darling child! It isn't gonna end that soon! Still it has a long way to go... So please calm down now! Haha :-D Love your reviews honey! They make me wanna type more! Please stay right there! Don't ever move away! :-* Love ya!**

**Timey Wimey Detecter:- Hey... Thanks! Though it's short it means a lot! 20****th**** chapter was just flat... I know... Yet I'm happy to see that you've found it so sweet! Thanks a bunch babe! Stay with my story! Keep supporting!**

**So finally... Thanks for your support... Everyone!**

**Love you all!**

**It's almost 2am! And I'm still awake 'cause I promised someone to post the chapter before dawn! Haha!  
Bye for now!**

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	22. Till Death do us part

**22\. Till death do us part**

"You took more than thirty minutes." Natsume spoke as he saw his brunette wife walking out of their room, changed into new clothes.

"We just arrived and you want me to go _cruising _around with you in the middle of the night!" Mikan complained as she approached her husband, annoyed.

"Then stay here alone. I got some work outside." Natsume said out coolly and started to walk away, making Mikan shriek in fear.

"Wait! What the! You can't leave me here alone like this! This house's giving me creeps!" Mikan cried out in fear as she ran after him, totally mad.

"You're too noisy." Natsume said as he stopped walking for a while, turning to her side and looking into her flickering brown eyes.

"But it's much more tolerable than your silence." He added as he started to walk again, grabbing her by her hand and dragging her through one of the corridors which apparently led the way to a wide, marble balcony. That magnificent balcony overlooked the whole area of the backyard which had the most beautiful boundary Mikan had ever seen in her life, the river.

"It's Kamogamo." Natsume said, his eyes focused on the still waters of the river, sparkling brightly in the faint moon light.

"Whoa! It's so... beautiful..." Mikan said, unintentionally. Her mouth was gaping open, awed by the charming scenery which was there before her eyes.

"Thank god. At last you appreciated something in here." Natsume said in a scornful tone and walked towards another set of stairs, which led the way down to the huge old garden which was nicely placed in the cool shade of the river, hidden by a line of medium height sakura trees. The garden looked a bit over grown, probably due to the lack of attention paid by the gardeners over the years.

Mikan watched as he climbed down the stairs and stepped into the garden, his eyes fixed upon the distant figure of the river.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Mikan cried out, loud enough to be heard by Natsume.

"Shut it and follow me." He said without looking up at her.

"I thought we were gonna tour _inside_ the house." Mikan said, emphasizing the word 'inside'.

"I said 'cruising around', didn't I?" Natsume replied as he looked up at her, annoyed. "If you don't wanna come down, just stay there alone." Added he as he started to walk again, leaving Mikan up on the balcony alone.

Within a few seconds, he felt something hanging on his sleeve, grabbing it slightly, making him smirk widely.

"Why'd you have to leave me there..." A teary voice spoke as Natsume turned his eyes to look at the person walking next to him, grinning.

"Looks like someone's really scared." He said and pinched her nose, making Mikan squeal in pain.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

"You're so annoying."

"Then why did marry me!"  
"'cause you're so annoying."

"What?!"

"Yup."

They were arguing till they felt the creamy sand of the river bank under their feet. The moon wasn't full, yet it gave them enough light to have a clear view of the surrounding area, still and serine. The bank was hidden perfectly by a line of old sakura trees, their roots running forward till they sunk themselves in the river waters. The river was so broad that they hardly could see the other bank in the opposite side. But some of the tall shadows of skyscrapers could be seen on the rippling water like those of giant ghosts, reaching the mansion house for dinner.

"Whoa! This is incredible! I always dreamt to build my house in a place like this!" Mikan said as she let go of Natsume's arm which she had been holding on to all this time. Hearing her amused voice, Natsume couldn't help but remind her of something, important.

"This is your house." He said as Mikan looked at him astonished.

"Err... Yeah... But still...it's too large for me..." Mikan said, keeping eye contact with Natsume's crimson ones.

"Sorry about that." Natsume said in a scornful voice as he sat down on a bench-like root coming out from the ground.

"Umm... but still..." Mikan said, turning to Natsume again with a sudden outburst of high spirit, smiling.

"We can make it become smaller!" She completed her sentence, looking into Natsume's surprised eyes, smiling brightly.

"What? You aren't gonna bulldoze it huh?" Natsume asked, not sure about what she had meant by saying it. Hearing this, Mikan walked towards him and sat down beside him, making him follow her gaze to something in the starry night sky.

"I mean... We can make it less office-like..." She said, before she shifted her eyes from the sky to her shocked husband. Natsume could see the energy and the eagerness she had in them.

"We sure can make it a _home_! Together!" Mikan said as she grabbed Natsume's arm, making him lift his eyes to hers, astonished. He couldn't think of what to say in return yet his lips couldn't miss the chance to speak in its own way. So he tightened the grip on her hand and dragged her closer to him, making her close her eyes unconsciously.

Within another silent second, his lips were on hers under that peaceful serenity, the sound of the rippling water mixing with their unspoken emotions. This time it was so intense, that Mikan couldn't keep calm anymore. Her fingernails were digging painfully into Natsume's skin, sending electric waves of unknown pleasure through his body. That was the first time Mikan let Natsume uncover the hidden pleasures inside her mouth, making their emotions mix with each other's inevitable feelings. She felt the heat building up between their bodies, making them both sweat vigorously. Her hands were exploring Natsume's back, almost scraping it with her sharp pointed nails, making Natsume pull her closer to his body some more; his control was reaching its limits. But it looked as if Mikan didn't want to stop so he had to withdraw all by himself, both panting so hard after a session of fifteen to twenty silent minutes.

Right after she had returned back to consciousness, Mikan felt embarrassed for not being able to control her feelings once more towards her husband. She decided that something was terribly wrong with her at the moment for she still felt like kissing him till the end of her days. She definitely could say that she wanted _more. _But still she hurriedly removed her hands from his shirt and clutched her little mini dress, blushing beet red. Seeing this, Natsume stood up and stretched his hand out for her, smiling wholeheartedly at his blushing little wife. He knew it was the right time to smile 'cause now he was pretty sure that his wife had the same eagerness to be with him as he did.

"This isn't the place for that." Natsume said as he made her stand up, his eyes celebrating the new feelings of his brunette wife.

"I—I didn't—mean... that!" Mikan said, embarrassed to death as she followed Natsume's lead towards the house.

"Huh... We'll see about that." Natsume said, dragging her by her arm, smirking.

The silent Kamogamo river watched them as they disappeared into the house, leaving it in the dark again.

* * *

"Natsume..." She asked, her nose hidden in the blank blanket and her eyes pointed at the ceiling.

"Hn." He replied as he turned to her side, his feet touching hers under the blanket, making Mikan caress them some more with hers.

"Am I a bad girl?" Mikan asked out cutely, shifting her gaze to Natsume's mild crimson eyes. Hearing that question, Natsume hardly kept his giggles inside his stomach.

"Yup." Natsume said, smirking so widely, much to Mikan's dismay.

"You mean it?" Mikan asked again, her eyes nearing to cry. Seeing her really bad mood, Natsume took hold of her waist and dragged her closer, her bare skin touching his once more.

"Nope." He said as he kissed her porcelain cheek, making them become rosy again. Feeling this Mikan put her hands on his chest and pushed him away, making Natsume look at her, shocked.

"You said yes!" Mikan said, bringing on a fake anger, childishly.

"You pushed me away!" Natsume said in an equal fake anger, skipping her question.

"But you said yes!" Mikan yelled, her eyes widened in fury.

"You pushed me." Natsume repeated the words, making Mikan feel a little guilty from within. Feeling that, she hurriedly moved closer to him again, scared that he'd leave her. Seeing her sudden reaction, Natsume smirked, much to Mikan's relief.

"You scared the hell out of me! Natsume no baka!" Mikan said out softly as she buried her face on his chest, her voice muffled a little. Hearing that, Natsume just made a giggling sound and wrapped his arms around her, giving her more relief.

"Ne... Natsume..." Mikan asked again, breaking the chain of emotions they'd been sharing a moment ago.

"Hn?" Natsume gave out his usual reply as Mikan raised her head from his embrace and looked at him, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Have you been with a girl...like this...before?" Mikan asked, her heart thumping a little. Hearing that, Natsume's eyes widened a bit, but he managed to keep calm as always.

"I dunno." Natsume replied with a deep sigh, making Mikan's eyes widen some more.

"What kinda answer is that!?" Mikan asked as she punched his chest playfully, not wanting to show that she was a bit hurt by his answer.

"I said I don't know." He replied, closing his eyes, not knowing what kind of an emotion he should express through them at the moment.

"With... with who... then?" Mikan asked, her heart screaming at that question. She knew she had no right to ask something like that from him, since she herself was guilty of making love to another guy in the first place. Yet, she couldn't help asking more about it. She was far more than just curious. However, she knew she wasn't gonna live a happy life after hearing the name Natsume would say next.

"I don't know." He said, making Mikan sigh in relief.

"Oh Natsume... You're so disappointing!" She said as she placed her head back on his chest, her heart screaming a little, but she knew she would manage to keep it quiet. She didn't wanna hear more about that. Leaving it at that would be the best thing for both of their lives. It didn't matter to her that he had involved with some other girl before; all what mattered to her was that he, now, was all hers.

Natsume on the other hand was still pondering on that same question; the question which had been always popping up in his mind. Everything that had happened recently looked so familiar to him. His heart heaved at that thought.

A few silent minutes passed between them, letting both of them wander in their separate worlds of thoughts. Mikan at this point regretted bringing on that topic for their discussion, 'cause both of them looked lost after having conversed about it.

"Natsume... Did I... Did I make you upset?" She asked in a shaky voice, making Natsume look at her, opening his eyes.

"No." He said and leaned forward to kiss her temple passionately, making her lose her mind again. She closed her eyes and let him melt her down to her bones with his wet passionate lips. As he broke the contact, he looked at her, serious more than ever.

"You never did, little girl. But promise me one thing." Natsume said almost in a whisper as he took a few strands of her hair in his hand, looking so intensely into her wide hazel eyes.

"P-pro-mise?" Mikan repeated his words, surprised.

"Yeah. You gotta promise me..." He said, looking into her eyes, solemnly. "That you won't leave me..." He stopped again and sighed before opening his mouth to continue.

"Whatever happens in the future." Natsume completed his sentence, still looking into her eyes so deeply, making Mikan stare back in the same intensity. Hearing his words, Mikan smiled, brighter than ever.

"Stupid Natsume! Don't you remember! I've already promised that... Before God!" She said and kissed his left cheek cutely, making Natsume sigh in relief.

"Till death do us part! That was it, if my memory's correct!" Mikan said as she hugged him again, wrapping her legs around his.

"What?" Natsume asked, dragging her closer, playfully.

"Our wedding vow!" She said and pouted at him, making him give her a gentle smile, out of the blue. Seeing his smile, Mikan felt a burning sensation inside her heart that she couldn't stop herself from saying the next few words.

"I think..." She started and looked into his godly crimson eyes, her eyes flickering a little as Natsume looked back at her, surprised.

"I think... **I Love you**... Natsume!" She said, making Natsume's heart stop beating for a moment. He didn't know what to say in return. He couldn't think of a set of words that would explain his heart to her at the moment. So he decided to stay silent and let his emotions do the talk.

He bent forward and brushed his lips over hers, making her tighten their bond and kiss him so deeply, pressing her lips on his with a passionate urge.

They let themselves drawn inside their emotions till they heard a soft knock on the door and a polite call for dinner.

* * *

She stomped till she found herself back in the passageway with rows of doors which looked terribly similar to each other. She'd been already in a bad mood, since Natsume had left her all of a sudden after the dinner and now these doors were screwing her up. Thinking her brains out, she stopped in front of a door.

She opened it and walked in, only to see a totally different room full of faded baby toys, trapped in cobwebs on short pink and white shelves. Her eyes widened when she saw the pink cradle which was placed in one dark corner of the room near the pink spotted white curtained window, silent and solemn. The little stuffed toys which were hanging on its edge danced in the breeze, making a weird sensation run through Mikan's body. _"It's all pink..."_ She thought as she approached the cradle and placed her hand on it, dreamily.

_"This can't be Natsume's..." _ She added to her thoughts as she dragged her hand along its edge, her eyes fixed on the cute little drawings pasted on the wall just above it.

"Mikan-chan! What're you doing here?" A gentle voice spoke out, making Mikan turn and look in the direction of the door, stunned.

"Oh... Nobara-chan! It's you!" Mikan said in relief, smiling gently at their curly haired clerk, who was standing there clutching her dress over her heart.

"You shouldn't be here... No one comes here." Nobara said in a dreamy look. Hearing that, Mikan's eyes widened in horror. Was that room haunted? She shivered at that thought.

"W—why... Why do you say so?" Mikan asked, her voice, shaking a little.

"Just come out of there and I'll explain it to you, Mikan-chan..."

Nobara said in a mysterious tone. Hearing that, Mikan turned to take one last glimpse of the cradle and walked out of the door, following Nobara silently.

"Now tell me... What's with that room? Why is it pink? Was there a baby girl in it? If so, who was that?" Mikan asked without a halt, making Nobara hold her hand, gently.

"Hush... Mikan-chan... Please come with me... This place isn't safe to talk about that..." Nobara said almost in a whisper, gesturing Mikan to follow her through another dark passage way, which led to a sitting room where many paintings were kept in a raw against the walls.

"Whoa! What're those? Umm eh? Oh here! It's a painting of momma, isn't it?! OMG! It looks so real!" Mikan cried out loud as she pointed at one of the paintings, thrilled. Nobara just smiled at her in return.

"And Oh! Is that Natsume? He looks so tiny!" Mikan said, pointing at another painting, her eyes widened in joy.

"You see the painting which is missing over there?" Nobara asked as she guided Mikan's gaze with her forefinger, making her look at an empty space between Natsume's and Kaoru's paintings.

"Eh? Yeah...? Does it...umm... have to do something with that room?" Mikan asked, curious to death.

"Yeah... All these paintings were done by Mr. Hyuuga... after their second child's birth..." Nobara said as she made Mikan sit down on a chair and herself taking the seat next to her.

"S-second child?" Mikan asked, shocked to hear something really unfamiliar like that.

"Yes... And it was a girl... Natsume-sama's younger sister..." Nobara said, lowering her voice a little as Mikan's eyes widened, her heart throbbing so fast. _"Natsume's younger sister?" _Mikan thought as a drop of sweat rolled down her face.

* * *

**So! How're you doing my readers! I'm sorry for taking so long to update! :'( My mind was all jumbled in the past few days! Even today it remains the same! You won't believe what happened to me! :-O Simply, I didn't have the mood to type anything 'cause I... am not single anymore! :-D LOL! So definitely, I had to take time and write my own luv story! Hahaha! :-D **

**Umm anyway! I don't think you wanna know more about my love story.**

**Soo oh oh oh! My reviewers! I Love you guys! :-* I know I disappointed all my readers and reviewers through this chapter! :'( It wasn't cool at all! But bear with it! More to come so don't be disappointed! :-)**

**I've reached 75 reviews already and feel so content for heaven's sake! :-) Thank you so much my loving readers! Please support me till the end! Make it a 100! :-D**

**Can anybody guess what's so mysterious about that pink room thingy?**

**And who the hell is Natsume's sister? Why did they have to hide it from Mikan?**

**:-O**

**Anyway! It's time to talk to you guys in person! :-***

**HaCel:- Thank you soooooo much honey! Your reviews always make me happy! Umm... yeah... this place reminds me of Shire too! Umm I'm sorry for keeping you waiting for so long! But my next update won't take that long! Promise ya! Please stay right there! Love you soo much! :-***

**Katherine Kalissa Amara:- Haha! That's weird! :-D But umm... yeah umm what if Natsume were Mikan's real brother? :-O **

**Guest:- OMG! You're an Indian! We're neighbours then! :-) Thanks for your beautiful comment honey! Love it! Please keep reading and reviewing! I'm soo happy to have a friend from our neighbouring country! :-***

** iiAriya:- Oh the Philippines! Hey tell me! You look similar to Japanese? Then you must be really cute! With long eyes and porcelain skin! Wow! Now now! It's me who should envy you! ;-) Anyway! Thank you sooo much for your review! It was simply just touching as always! Love you! :-***

**newroz:- Oh... I'm sorry for disappointing you with no romantic scenes in the previous chapter! But here I've brought out many for you! Just for you hon! :-) More to come! So keep reading! Love ya! :-***

**Timey Wimey Detecter:- Thank you sooo much for reviewing honey! But this time I took long to update! Are you mad at me? :'(**

**cposcabee:- Hey thanks for reading and reviewing! I know you're never gonna leave me! Till death do us part, right? :-D**

**And Finally!**

**My dear jrenamae! Thank you sooooooooooooooooooo much for being my fan! I can't believe my eyes! I have fans? Am I that lucky?! Thanks for making me feel so high! :-* Umm I'm really happy to know that my writing has caught your heart! Thanks my friend! At first, I was a reader too. But reading made me wanna write! That'll happen to you too! I'm so sure! :-) Love you! :-***

**Thank you all for your undying support!**

**I promise you to post the next chapter in a couple of days!**

**I won't be typing tomorrow, 'cause umm... He's taking me on a date tomorrow! :-D Umm please wish me luck my friends! :-)**

**I'll be back!**

**Love you all!**

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	23. Building the Future

**23\. Building the Future**

"Aoi-chan..."

Nobara said and sighed so deeply, making Mikan look at her troubled face, horrified.

"Aoi-chan was just two months old, when she died of a sudden spasm in the heart." Nobara said and stopped to clutch her heart in sorrow.

"She was so little... When we had to take her to the cemetery... Just... Just two months after we had celebrated her birth..." She said as a tear fell down from her eyes, making Mikan's eyes become damp as well. _"Aoi? Natsume's sister?" _Mikan talked to herself within her mind as Nobara looked at her with very red eyes and smiled.

"Natsume-sama was 2 years old, when it happened... After that incident I never saw him smiling under this roof... He never showed tears either..." Nobara continued with her story as Mikan prepared herself to listen to her with more eagerness.

"Just three months after Aoi-chan's death, Hyuuga-sama died of a heart attack, leaving Kaoru-sama and Natsume-sama to savor the ugliest type of pain on earth..." She said, her eyes fixed on one of the pictures on the opposite wall, dreamily.

"Then there was no reason left for them to hang around here anymore..." Nobara said as she drifted from her dream and looked back at Mikan's now puffy eyes.

"She took her child and left for Tokyo... leaving all of us behind..." Said the very upset clerk, drifting back to her dreamy state.

"This house was once... a place where many footsteps were heard... Busy...noisy and cheerful... But not anymore..." She added, still sunk in a sea of emotions. Her voice sounded largely disappointed. Mikan was listening, listening with her eyes widened in horror. Suddenly the storyteller turned to Mikan's side and took her hand in both of hers, smiling.

"But, I know... You will bring us back to life, Mikan-chan!" She said, smiling so cheerfully, her eyes filled with hope.

"You will... Definitely!" She added as Mikan smiled back at her, surprised. Her mind was filled with so many newly adopted facts, so for Mikan, it wasn't the best time to smile. She wondered why Natsume had taken her to someplace where he had buried a life full of miseries. She wondered why he would willingly step into his bad memories by choosing to live here. Her brain was puzzled but she didn't have a choice but to live with it.

_"We'll have to start from the beginning..."_ She thought as she sighed, holding her new friend's pale hands.

* * *

It was about ten o' clock and he was standing in front of a huge building in the dark, looking desperate and worn out. He wasn't sure if he actually wanted to go in or not, but he had no other option as well. So he approached the huge gates and cracked open the old padlock using the keys he had being carrying around all the time. The building looked even darker from inside the gates, giving no hints of life or even death. He stepped forward and reached the huge doors which took him to a whole new scenario, full of dark clothed furniture and counters with no one to provide him with any service. In the dark, he found his way towards the power box and pulled down the lever, lighting up the whole building in a millisecond.

There he saw his awaiting, new life, lit up with old white fluorescent lights; dusty and grimy all over. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the condition of the building, yet pushed that thought away in another second, walking towards an old elevator; his eyes fixed on the notice it had on its left side.

_"Seven stories only huh...!"_ He thought as he read through it, carefully. Seeing the condition which the building was currently in, he doubted if the elevator would really work. But he pushed the button which was there under the notice and waited till the elevator started with a huge crash and opened its doors at his face. He was surprised to see it working and with some trepidation, he walked in. Then he pushed the number three button, hoping that it won't crash in the midway, making him bury himself silently in a dark building, unknown to everyone.

However, after a silent journey of two to three minutes, he was safely taken to his destination, the 3rd floor.

As he stepped in, he saw files and machines piled up on the floor against the walls, giving out the air of a long dead commercial site, dusty and wrecked.

He walked further, till he found a tall oak door which had a brass plate over it, carrying the words 'President Hyuuga'. He opened it and walked in at once, only to see another dusty scene, a little different from earlier versions.

"So this is it, Dad..." Natsume said, his crimson eyes gleaming in the white light of the room. The huge armchair and the cabinets that were placed against the walls gave out the ambience of any other personal office of a chairperson, sacred and feared.

Upon reaching the table, his eyes stopped on a certain photo frame, which carried the photo of a smiling family of four people. Seeing that, his heart heaved all of a sudden, making him stare at the photo with more intensity.

With growing anxiety, he stepped towards the chair and ran his fingers through its edge, caressing it dreamily. In another dreamy second, he was sitting on it, his head pressed on the backrest with closed eyes.

Then he opened them in the next minute and reached out for the files thrown here and there on the table. Dusting the dirt off, he took one in his hand, his eyes fixed on its title.

"**Hyuuga Intelligent Systems Corporation.**" Natsume read to himself and sighed as he pictured his father standing in front of him, smiling.

* * *

"Nobara-chan... Are you asleep?"

Nobara heard someone calling her name in the middle of the night, making her jump off the bed, terrified.

"Mi—Mikan-chan! Is that you?" Nobara asked as she clutched the top of her night dress out of habit.

"Yeah. Can I come in?" She heard the intruder speak from behind the closed door.

"Of course, Mikan-chan! Please come in!" Nobara said as she climbed down the bed and put on her housecoat in a hurry.

"Oh... Did I scare you, Nobara-chan?" Mikan asked upon entering the room, pointing her eyes at Nobara's ghostly pale face. Hearing that, Nobara smiled and moved forward to receive Mikan with both her hands, warmly.

"Of course not, Mikan-chan! So why are you still awake? It's almost midnight now..." The clerk asked with visible anxiety as she took hold of Mikan's hands, wondering what she was doing here in the middle of the night. Seeing her worried face, Mikan smiled gently and opened her mouth to describe her situation.

"Natsume... He isn't home yet... Nobara-chan... Do you know where he's?" Mikan asked, her voice shaking a little. She'd been trying hard to sleep all the time but at last she had given up her vain attempt and come here all by herself to find Natsume, this way or the other. Nobara could see her situation fairly well through her face, pale and worried.

"Umm... I think Natsume-sama must've gone to... the office..." Nobara said, not sure about her thoughts yet. Hearing that, Mikan's eyes widened.

"The what?" Mikan asked, surprised. She had never heard Natsume talking about an office there in Kyoto.

"Yeah... Hyuuga-sama's old office building... I guess." Nobara said, making Mikan come back to earth with a sudden realization.

"Ah... Umm... Can I... can I go there too?" Mikan asked out cutely, her eyes gleaming with hope. She was tired of waiting for him alone inside that big planet-like house. She had no mind to go back to sleep either. She needed to go find him so badly. She needed to go find him right now.

"No! It's in the town! Near the Demachi-Yanagi station... It's a huge mercantile area... It doesn't sleep at night. We can't go there now. And even we haven't employed a driver yet. So I think... you should go back to your room now Mikan-chan... I'm sure Natsume-sama will be back soon. He must be on his way back..." Nobara said in a stern voice this time, trying hard to make her understand the situation. Mikan, on the other hand, knowing there was no way of convincing her to take her outta there, smiled at her, confirming that she had got her right.

"Umm... Yeah... I'll wait... Thank you, Nobara-chan... I'm sorry for waking you up at this hour of the night..." She said as she turned to leave, smiling.

"Oh... You don't have to say sorry... Mikan-chan... It's my duty to keep an eye on you, at least just for tonight, 'cause we don't have any servants here tonight..." Nobara said, smiling gently at the retreating figure of her employer.

"Do you want me to walk you to your room Mikan-chan?" She asked again, making Mikan turn back to her and smile.

"No... Nobara-chan... I'll be fine!" Mikan said before she started to walk away, smiling politely.

* * *

It was about one o' clock in the morning when he finally arrived there at the gates of the mansion house with a dreamy look on his face. As he pushed the button at the side of the gate, it opened at his face revealing a very sleepy watchman standing there in front of him, rubbing his eyes, much to Natsume's dismay.

"At least try not to sleep at night." Natsume said emotionlessly as he walked past him, making him stand straight and bow at him like crazy.

"I—I'm sorry Natsume-sama!" The guard, Mochiage, said in a hurried manner, keeping his head down, guilty as hell.

Within a few minutes, Natsume was there inside their half lit room, with his wife lying unconscious on an armchair next to the antique mirror placed against the wall. Seeing her like that, Natsume's heart skipped a beat and he rushed to her side to check if something was wrong with her, or she was just asleep. Before attempting to touch her, Natsume just watched her from a distance. He could see her chest going up and down, making it clear that she was just asleep and when he approached her, he could hear her heavy breathing that she usually does when she was asleep. He was relieved at that thought and bent down to lift her in his arms, to put her to bed. He then gently took her in his arms and walked towards the bed, without even making the slightest wrong move to wake her up.

"Why did you have to wait for me, little idiot." Natsume said softly as he put her down on the bed, smiling dreamily. He then knelt down beside her and watched her peacefully sleeping face, his mind running to the past they had had back in Tokyo. He smiled at how they had ended up together in a room like this. With that, his hand reached out for her belly, caressing it softly and his eyes focused on it with more and more intensity. It was that baby who had united their souls under the spell of marriage. So he felt indebted to it. To their baby. His heart had long forgotten the fact that it was said to be someone else's. All he now remembered was that his wife and his baby were waiting for him to make a better life, a better future for them. That was all he believed in. And that was all he lived for.

The night passed with no more incident. It was around seven o' clock in the morning when she felt a sudden retch inside her belly, making her jump off the bed at once, slapping Natsume's arms away. Feeling that, Natsume woke up at once, his eyes widened in horror as he saw his wife running towards the bathroom, her mouth clasped with her palm.

**"Mikan!" **Natsume cried as he followed her inside the bathroom, his heart racing at her silent movements.

Mikan on the other hand had no time to waste on describing things to Natsume and was retching painfully, making Natsume lose his mind.

"What's going on!" He yelled as Mikan finally found the washbasin and sank her face in it, retching more than ever and tears rising in her eyes. Seeing that, Natsume rushed to her and held her by her waist, keeping her steady as she emptied her stomach into the washbasin, her body shaking furiously. When she was done, she lay her head on Natsume's shoulder, heaving in exhaustion. Her body felt empty and her throat was dried away by the strong floods of vomit. Without asking or saying anything, Natsume just took some water in his hand and rubbed it on her vomit-stained mouth, wiping it clear with his palm as she kept her tear oozing eyes closed. Then he walked her back to the bed, made her sit down and knelt down in front of her, trying hard to keep his worried face away. Reaching out for the glass of water they had by the bedside table, he smiled at her, pushing his worry away, not wanting to make her feel worse.

"Drink and you'll feel better." He said, as he handed her the glass, looking gently into her eyes, still smiling. Sobbing, she took it with trembling hands and looked at him thankfully, trying hard to smile through her tears.

"Natsume... It... It hurts..." She said as she sipped a little from the glass, tears rolling down her face.

"I know... It'll be gone once you've had your breakfast." He said, looking into her eyes, convincingly. She just nodded at his statement and took in another sip of water slowly, her puffy eyes focused on nothing. Natsume had first thought of it as a bad sign but then when he remembered what Subaru had said him the other day, he felt it was all normal. He hoped everything was fine and he blamed himself for not giving her enough rest the previous day.

"Now... Just lie down here for a little longer. I'll be back in a minute." Natsume said and left the room after giving her a stern look as if to warn her not to move an inch away from the bed.

Mikan just lay there, looking dreamily at the empty ceiling, her hand resting on her still flat belly. For her, her life was still a mess where she saw no reason or solution. It was true that she was happily married at the moment, but didn't know what the future held for her.

_"Oh Hotaru... I am a super baka, of course..." _She thought as she remembered her stoic best friend's stern face all of a sudden. She remembered how she called her an idiot for lying down her life to achieve her stupid goals all the time.

_"But if... if it was my stupidity which brought me here... I'm happy I was born an idiot..." _She thought as she smiled blankly at the ceiling which now displayed a pair of gleaming crimson eyes, smiling at her.

"Here" She heard through her dream, making her turn her head only to see a very concerned Natsume with a bowl full of different kinds of fruits in his hands. Seeing that, Mikan looked at him, surprised.

"Whoa! What're those?" She asked and gaped at him, much to Natsume's annoyance.

"Fruits. They say it'll push away your tendency to throw up again." He said and placed the bowl on the bedside table, making Mikan look at him with more surprise.

"Why?" He asked as he noticed her stare, annoyed.

"Natsume... Thank you..." She said as an unknown tear rolled down her face, making Natsume sigh in return.

"Needn't thank me. I don't like it when the **woman I love the most** keeps on thanking me all the time." Natsume said in his hoarse voice as if it was the most common sentence in the whole world, making Mikan choke in return.

"E—Ehhh?!" Mikan gasped as Natsume just smiled at her and stepped outta the room, quick as breeze.

* * *

"Oi Naru."

Narumi heard his cool client call out for him out of the blue.

"Oh... Natsume-kun! I didn't notice you were here! See! We're half done with your living area!" Narumi said as he smiled at Natsume, sheepishly, making Natsume groan in return.

"Umm... Why, does it look awful?" He asked, looking disappointed at Natsume's disgusted expression, sorrowfully.

"Nah. It's not the case. You gotta do something _else_ for me." Natsume said as he climbed down the stairs, approaching him coolly.

"Eh? What's that, Natsume-kun?" The blonde man asked, surprised as he put down the blueprints of the house, focusing on Natsume.

"You gotta post this advertisement. Whatever method you use, I need workers for my company within a fortnight." Natsume said as he handed him a piece of paper, his eyes fixed on Narumi's widened eyes.

"Eh? Within a fortnight? But Natsume-ku—"

"If you can't do it, I'll hand it over to someone else. And the profit will also be theirs." Natsume said out coolly as Narumi's sweat dropped.

"No—no no! Wait! I'll do it! There's no other man in Kyoto who can undertake such a task! Believe me! I and my men will make your company overflow with workers!" Narumi said as he shook Natsume's hands with both of his hands, making Natsume lose his temper once more.

"Ah... And there's one more thing you gotta do. Do up my company and make it suit the present situation in the business word. Equip it, make it the best place in Kyoto. Do whatever you want but remember you have only 14 days left, including today" Natsume said before he left the scene, leaving Narumi speechless.

"Ugh...He makes it sound so easy..." Narumi said as he gestured his men to gather around him for a second.

* * *

Ruka was flipping through the pages of his chemistry book dreamily, when he heard a sudden bang on his door.

"Oi Nogi!" He jumped off the chair, literally, when he heard his stoic girlfriend's smooth voice coming out from behind the door.

"Err—Ugh! What're you doing here at my house?" He asked as he opened the door and she slipped in as an eel out of water.

"I'm leaving school, starting tomorrow!" She said all of a sudden as she sat on Ruka's bed without invitation, making Ruka's jaw drop, anime style.

"Ehhh? Le-Leaving school? You? Why?!" He asked, not believing a word as Hotaru stared at him coolly, freezing him on the spot.

"I guess you haven't seen it yet." Hotaru said, searching her pockets for some candy she had stuffed there inside about a year ago.

"W-What!" Ruka asked, astonished to death.

"This!" She said as she took out a crumpled piece of a newspaper out of her other pocket and shove it in front of Ruka's eyes, making Ruka's them widen in shock.

"H—Hyuuga Intelligent systems corporation?!" Ruka read it as a drop of sweat rolled down his face.

"Yup. And I'm outta school. See how much they pay for a Systems Administrator! It's pointless to keep schooling when our friend's ready to pay us this much!" Hotaru said with awe as Ruka tried so hard to say something but words just won't come outta his mouth.

"And ah! I'm not here to ask for your permission. Don't get me wrong okay. I'm here just to ask if you wanna join me. I'm sure Natsume won't let you return to Tokyo jobless." She said without a halt and stuffed her mouth with a candy and chewed it till Ruka finally, found his words.

"I-Is i-it a-actually Na-Natsume's company?!" Ruka asked, stammering as Hotaru looked at him with disgust.

"No. Just stay here then. I'm leaving for Kyoto first thing tomorrow. No time to waste. Bye!" She said as she stood up and left the room at once, leaving a thunderstruck Ruka inside the room alone.

* * *

**Hiii my friends! I'm back! :-) Are you happy? Umm I'm sooo excited at the moment thought there's nothing interesting in this chapter! :-D**

**Umm I used this chapter mainly to make the background for the coming chapters so... umm bear with it! Haha! I know you will! :-) Now tell me, was it that boring? :'(**

**OMG! About my date! Thanks to you guys' blessings nothing went wrong! Actually Yesterday, OMG was SOOOO ROMANTIC! Haha! :-* You know what... I'm breathless at the moment! He was just sooo uh oh! What to say! Umm... His actions largely reflect that of Natsume's. Haha very possessive! That's the word. Plus he kissed me on my forehead! Good improvement huh? :-D And the shocking truth is, he was my ex too. So I got my ex back. Haha. No girl on earth can be happier than me at the moment.**

**Anyway! I know one thing now! If we pray for something as one world, it'll be granted for sure! Like what happened with my love. All you guys prayed for me; people from all around the world! So see what happened! My ex came back to me with less effort! :-) **

**Please continue praying for me! I want it so badly! 'cause I don't wanna lose him once again! :'(**

**Anyway! Now back to my story! Ooooh! 80+ reviews! I'm breathless! *tears rising! **

**Now it looks like I'd reach above hundred reviews! Thanks to my everyday reviewers! I'm really happy to know how much you guys love talking to me! :-***

**Now now... It's time for me to talk back!**

**HaCel:-Haha umm now you know who was Natsume's sister, right? No confusion! Umm haha yeah! I had an amazing day yesterday! The best date ever! Even better than Natsume's and Mikan's. :-D Umm thanks to your blessings! I really owe you much, both in my real life and my story! Now that I have dragged my real life into this. :-D**

**Thanks HaCel. Umm Looking forward for your another touching review! :-* Love ya!**

**Guest:- Haha! Thanks to your blessings I had a wonderful day with my love. Umm I actually owe all you guys for that. Umm You said you were an Indian right? Since we people look alike, you might get an idea about my guy's looks if I say he looks just like Imran Khan, the actor. Haha :-D That's why I fell in love with him. Umm That wasn't the only reason though. ;-) Keep reviewing honey! :-***

**newroz:- Haha! Yeah thank you so much for your blessings honey! I owe you so look forward for more and more REAL romance! Love ya sooo much! :-***

**iiAriya:- Hahaha! I couldn't keep myself from giggling when I was reading your review! Your description about your looks was really good and funny! Umm 'cause of you I searched for some photos of Filipino girls and saw you were damn right! You guys have beautiful eyes! Umm plus beautiful hair! Straight black right? Umm anyway! I Love reading your reviews and they actually make me smile! Thanks hon! And don't stay awake for long hours just to suck blood! :-D Ms. Vampire! :-D Loveee ya!**

**Katherine Kalissa Amara:- Whoa! You're half Sinhalese? No way! Did I just meet a fellow Sinhalese! Wait! Mama hondin innawa. Haha how was that? :-D Umm can you speak more? Or only that? I'm sooo curious! And how did you become half Sinhalese? An offspring of a mixed marriage? Can't be! :-O**

**cposcabee: Haha! Just saw your review! See how faster I update! :-D Don't try to solve things just yet. Wait till my last two chapters. Please keep supporting honey! :-***

**And finally our new friend Bird blu! Thank you sooo much! Umm please keep reviewing 'cause in my story I give the top priority to my reviewers! Haha! Don't be angry at me my readers! ;-)**

**I'm grateful for all my readers as well!**

**So I'm always happy to have new reviewers! Thanks Bird blu! Did you pick up your name from 'Rio'? Just curious! ;-)**

**Umm okay! I'm off to bed now! Haha! Gotta text my honey! :-D Please I need you to pray for us more! He's so handsome so I'm scared some damn woman would snatch him away from me! ;'( Don't let that happen my readers!**

**Love you!**

**I'll be back!**

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	24. Intruders

**24\. Intruders**

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The morning was passing swiftly, but she was still there in bed, pouting at the ceiling with her eyes open wide. _"The woman I love the most... huh...?" _She kept pushing the repeat button over and over again. It'd been hours since he had left her alone in that room, but still she felt as if he was there with her all the time. She couldn't realize what was going on inside her mind; was she actually falling for him? It's true she did confess it in the previous night, but had she actually meant it then? Hadn't their bodies got to know each other before their minds did? She didn't know what to feel at the moment, but deep down, she could feel her heart beat thumping faster and faster.

She didn't feel well, even now. Her head was aching, so was her belly. But she couldn't keep to the bed anymore, so she climbed down and walked slowly out of the door after making sure that Natsume wasn't around. She knew he would kick her ass, not literally, if he got to know that she'd stepped outta the room this early. She pouted at that thought.

She was about to climb down the stairs when she heard the cheerful voice of their lovely clerk, smooth and gentle as always.

"Oh... Mikan-chan...! Good morning! Look how charming your mansion looks in the morning!" She said, approaching Mikan with a bright smile plastered on her lips. Only then Mikan raised her head to look at the whole scenery from above the stairs; really charming. The tall church-like windows beaten by the morning sun gave her a whole different picture from what she had seen the previous night. She was looking at the sun-filtering coloured panes with awe as her eyes stopped on something unusual hanging on the huge window frame.

"Errr! Who's that?!" Mikan cried out loud as the person who was swinging on the window, grinned sheepishly. Seeing that Nobara just couldn't help but smile and turned to Mikan, to describe the situation.

"Umm... Mikan-chan... They're repairing the house. There's more down there..." Nobara said, smiling gently at Mikan's wide hazel orbs.

"Eh? Umm so they've started it already?" Mikan asked out surprised as Nobara smiled and nodded.

"Yes... Looks like Natsume-sama wants everything to be done very soon." She said as Mikan looked down from the banister, only to see more than fifteen heads at work down there, busy like ants out of a hole.

"Whoa!" She gasped.

"Half of them are working outside...in the garden. It's thirty altogether." She said as Mikan gaped some more.

"Nobara-chan... Where's Natsume?" Mikan asked out of the blue, still keeping her eyes focused on the people working down there.

"Natsume-sama must've gone back to the office. He asked me to take care of you, Mikan-chan... He looked really worried about something... Is everything alright, Mikan-chan?" She asked as Mikan turned her head to look at her and smiled.

"Yeah... I'm alright now! Umm... it was just that I had a little headache in the morning... Now it's all gone..." Mikan answered as Nobara took hold of her hand and smiled.

"But still you look a little pale, Mikan-chan... Umm please go and have your breakfast... It's almost lunch time now, by the way..." She said, still holding her hand, worried to death.

"Oh... Okay... Guess there're no men working there in the dining room." Mikan said and chuckled before she started to walk in the direction of the dining room, smiling.

"Oh...! Mikan-chan! I almost forgot! Please join me in the study when you're done okay? If you feel well... Umm... We have to order new furniture for the house... But only if you feel well!" Nobara shouted out loud as Mikan turned back to her and nodded, smiling.

Mikan took her breakfast and drank a hell lot of water, trying hard to push the tendency to throw up again. Her belly was still retching slightly giving her warnings to stuff herself inside the room again. But that couldn't be done. She had to help Nobara with placing orders. So she slowly stood up from the chair and walked towards the study, where she found Nobara's smiling face buried in a pile of papers, exhausted.

"Mikan-chan! Finally you came! Please come and sit beside me!" Nobara said out cheerfully as she stood up with joy. But all Mikan could do was smiling in return, 'cause she couldn't open her mouth; the eagerness to throw up was still there inside it. She walked forward with a very green face and sat beside Nobara who had started to fill the forms once again, very focused.

"Mikan-chan... Which curtains do you prefer? White or Ivory? Since the couches aren't gonna be replaced, I think the Ivory would suit the best. What do you think?" Nobara asked, her eyes fixed on the papers, perplexed. Hearing that Mikan wanted to say she preferred the same but her belly started to retch furiously at that thought. She knew she wasn't gonna be able to hold it any longer. So she silently, clasped her mouth with her palm and stood up at once, making Nobara look at her horrified.

"Mikan-chan?" She said, her eyes widened in horror. But Mikan had no idea to stay there any longer so she ran outta the room, making Nobara follow her like a guard after a prisoner, fast and focused.

"Mikan-chan! What's wrong?!" She asked as Mikan ran inside their bathroom and locked the door behind her, not wanting Nobara to see her symptoms. Watching her, Nobara just stood there silent as a pillar, while Mikan emptied her stomach again into the washbasin, wincing in pain.

"Mikan-chan..." Nobara said out softly as Mikan stepped out of the bathroom with a face damp with tears. Seeing her sobbing under her breath, Nobara approached her slowly and took hold of her hands, walking her towards the bed.

"You feel okay now?" Nobara asked gently as Mikan emptied the glass of water she had offered in the previous minute.

"Uh... Yeah... Nobara-chan..." Mikan managed to say through her tears, clutching her dress over her belly.

"Mikan-chan... Should I call Natsume-sama?" She asked again, very much concerned as Mikan looked at her hurriedly with a 'NO' in her eyes.

"Umm... Does Natsume-sama know?" She asked again, her eyes glittering with some kind of a delight this time.

"What do you mean, Nobara-chan?" Mikan asked as she looked back at Nobara's blissful eyes, shocked. Seeing her shocked expression, Nobara just smiled warmly and took both of her hands in hers.

"I knew it when I felt your pulse... In the morning..." She said as she looked into Mikan's eyes with her warm and gentle gaze. Hearing that, Mikan blushed beet red. What should she tell her now?

"It's nothing to be embarrassed of Mikan-chan... This is the greatest news we heard after such a long barren time! All we people, faithful to the Hyuugas will celebrate this in no time! Our new heir!" Nobara said in a cheerful tone as Mikan kept silent, her eyes locked on something dreamy on the opposite wall.

"Wait here! I'll bring you something really soothing to chew! That'll make you forget the feeling to throw up again! This will happen from time to time, but it's nothing to worry about! It's totally normal..." Nobara said as she stood up in a hurry, smiling brighter than ever.

"I'm quite into folk medicine, you know..." She said before she left the room, winking at Mikan's worried face.

_"New heir...Uh..." _Mikan thought as a tear fell down from her eyes.

* * *

"Hayate Matsudaira, Yuri Miyazono, Noriyuki Makihara, Takahashi and Megane. Altogether five. Anyone else?"

Narumi was going through the list as the keeper kept on counting the heads over and over again. The gates of the mansion were already overflowing with human presence, since Narumi's workers were all over the place and now these five people had arrived, blocking the entrance with all the luggage they had brought with them.

"Now now... Please wait here for a few more minutes 'cause it's not me who'd sign you up for your new posts... Oh uh... Please don't push one another..." Narumi was trying really hard to keep the new household employees calm.

"Oh... They've arrived..." Nobara said as she looked at the small queue which was there by the gates, delighted.

"Oh... Nobara-chan... Here comes the clerk! My duty's over now!" Narumi said as he handed her the papers and slipped out of the scene, grinning sheepishly.

"Oh... Umm... Five people for household work. One cook, a driver, the gardener...umm... and two maids! Very simple! C'mon!" Nobara said with a cheerful voice and led the crew inside the house, relieved.

"Oh... Mikan-chan... Where are you going? Aren't you supposed to rest inside your room some more?" Nobara asked as she saw Mikan climbing down the stairs, slowly, her eyes fixed on nothing. It was only then Mikan noticed the five people who were standing behind Nobara, thunderstruck.

"Ah... Umm... I have to introduce you to your mistress! This is your mistress from today onwards, Hyuuga Mikan-sama..." Nobara said as she turned to the crew, introducing Mikan to all of them. As they all bowed at Mikan respectfully, Nobara turned back to Mikan and smiled.

"Mikan-sama... This is your new household crew... Takahashi and Yuri your two maids, Noriyuki Makihara the cook, Hayate Matsudaira your gardener and finally, Megane, your driver..." Nobara said as she introduced each person in the household crew, smiling.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all..." Mikan said as she smiled back at them, bowing a little. Though she didn't see anything interesting in the other two, the two maids and the driver looked very friendly and less strict. Mikan was relieved at that thought.

"What do you think, Mikan-chan?" Nobara asked Mikan, who was sitting in the study all alone after a good few hours from the previous incident. Hearing her, Mikan looked up, surprised.

"About what, Nobara-chan?" Mikan asked, smiling faintly.

"About our new crew... Do they look appealing?" Nobara asked as she sat down beside her on a chair, smiling gently.

"Yeah... Of course..." Mikan said and smiled heartwarmingly, much to Nobara's delight.

"I knew you'd like them! Umm hope Natsume-sama would like them as well... Umm anyway Mikan-chan... This would be the last day I spend here... Now that my duty's over..." Nobara said, pressing the last few words with utmost difficulty. Hearing that, Mikan's heart heaved. The only friend she had found in this unknown place... Was she gonna leave her as well?

"B-but... Nobara-chan..." Mikan said as a tear dropped from her eye.

"Umm... You know Mikan-chan... My real duty is there in the Hyuuga Corporation. So I can't deny that... But don't worry... Takahashi-san and Yuri-senpai would take care of you very well... I know them personally... They're my friends!" Nobara said a second before Mikan jumped forward and hugged her tightly, sobbing so hard.

"But..."

"Please... Mikan-chan... It's not like we aren't gonna see each other again... I'll visit you every now and then... I gotta bring you more herbs, remember?" Nobara said and patted Mikan's sobbing head, gently.

"Nobara-san!"

Both of them looked up as the door bang opened, revealing a horrified Mochiage, panting heavily.

"Why! What on earth is going on?" Nobara asked as she watched his shocked-to-death face, pale as a ghost.

"Th-there is—something horrible—" The man was stammering.

"Tell me at once! What is it?!" Nobara asked, standing up from the chair. Mikan was speechless and hoped Natsume was all okay.

"There's... someone at the gates! Threatening our men with a gun! A young woman! With a decent looking guy. She asked us to open the gates... B-but when... when we asked for their identity, she just... pointed a gun at me and... and..."

3

2

1

.

.

.

"Hotaruuuuuuuuuuu...!"

Nobara and the guard were thrown aside and the young brunette was outta the room in the next millisecond.

"What did just happen?" Nobara asked as the guard fell on the floor anime style.

* * *

"Hotaruuuuuuuuu!" Mikan yelled as she ran through the main pathway in front of the gates, her eyes sparkling with tears.

"Mikan." The raven haired girl replied, emotionless.

"Hotaaaaaaaruuuuuuu!" Mikan cried out again, her puffy eyes fixed on the distant figure of her raven haired best friend.

"Mikan." Said the violet eyed girl again.

"Hotaruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Mikan yelled, jumping forward to hug her as the raven haired girl moved away, making Mikan land safely on the arms of the blonde young man who was standing there beside her, thunderstruck.

"Sa-Sakura!" He said as he made her stand properly, surprised.

"Ruka-pyon! You guys..." Mikan asked, tears oozing from her eyes. Seeing her expression, Hotaru moved closer to her, still with no emotion.

"Hotaru... I knew you'd come to see me!" Mikan said in a teary voice as she jumped again and hung around her neck without resistance this time.

"Baka Mikan. It's not like we've come all the way here just to see you." Hotaru said out coolly as Mikan's arms fell down from her neck automatically, totally disappointed. Seeing Mikan's disappointed face, Ruka opened his mouth to declare ceasefire between the two parties.

"It doesn't mean you weren't _a_ reason for her to come here though." Ruka said, comforting Mikan's bruised heart.

"Then what are the other reasons?" Mikan asked and pouted as Hotaru began to collect her things and walk in. Seeing her ignoring Mikan's question, Ruka took over the job to answer to her question as always.

"Uh... We're here... Umm... looking for a job..." Ruka said, stammering, not sure if they were actually there for that. However, the mere sound of that made Mikan lose her mind.

"Searching for what?" Mikan asked, not sure if she had heard it right.

"A job." Hotaru said out plainly, dragging her luggage on the white marble pathway.

"A what?" Mikan asked again, making Hotaru pat her baka gun with impatience as a drop of sweat rolled down Ruka's face.

"Sakura... She's right..." Ruka said as he squeezed Mikan's hand, wanting her to stop questioning.

"By the way, you better stop calling her 'Sakura' now. She's a Hyuuga." Hotaru said before entering the house at once, pushing her luggage through the door, making the floor wince in pain. Hearing that creak, Nobara came running into the living room, thinking that someone was scraping the newly polished redwood floor.

"Oh... Who are you?" She asked as she saw Hotaru pulling her huge travelling bags on the floor, making it creak and crack.

"Hi. I'm Imai Hotaru." Hotaru said emotionlessly and started to pull and push her luggage again, ignoring all the stares that were pointed at her.

After a few seconds, Mikan and Ruka's heads emerged from the door, making Nobara gape in surprise.

"Oh... Nobara-chan!" Mikan yelled, tears of joy oozing from her eyes.

"Mikan-chan?" Nobara said with a question mark on her face.

"Nobara-chan! These are my best friends! Hotaru and Ruka-pyon!" Mikan said as she hung on both of their shoulders at once, making Nobara gape some more.

"We've met already." Hotaru jumped into the middle as Mikan's eyes widened in surprise.

"Eh? You two? Know each other?" Mikan asked, curious to death.

"Umm yeah... Just a few minutes ago." Nobara answered and smiled warmly at both of their guests.

"Please come and take a seat! Natsume-sama will be so happy to see you in here... I'll ask our men to move your luggage to your rooms. It must've been a tiresome journey." Nobara said and bowed at them politely, making Ruka admire her beauty secretly.

"Oi Nogi. Enough!" Hotaru said, slapping Ruka's head before she threw herself on the couch, free like a bird.

"She must be Natsume's Private Secretary, huh?" Hotaru asked as Mikan sat beside her, beaming like a French rose.

_"Natsume has such a beautiful Private Secretary...?" _Ruka thought, drooling, making Hotaru slap him and bring him back to consciousness again.

"Oh... No no... She's our clerk I guess... Umm does it mean she's his Private Secretary, by the way?" Mikan asked, confused.

"How could I know?!" Hotaru said as she closed her eyes, annoyed.

"Ne... Hotaru..." Mikan said, placing her head on Hotaru's shoulder, happy to be next to her best friend after one and a half days. It was only yesterday they had moved in here and here they had all reunited today. At this point, she couldn't help but heave at the thought of their mother.

"Where are you gonna work? And why did you leave school all of a sudden? Was it... because of me...?" Mikan asked, her head buried deeply on Hotaru's shoulder.

"Are you nuts? We heard your husband was looking for employees for his company. Besides, who'd kick a sack of three hundred thousand yen per month?" Hotaru said as Mikan's eyes widened, shocked to death.

"Three hundred thousand?!" Mikan yelled, as Ruka moved closer to her, fearing that she'd fall any minute.

"Yeah. So I took Nogi along with me, for I wanted my future husband to be rich as well." Hotaru said out blankly as Mikan gritted her teeth in rage.

"Hotaru you meanie! It's all about money, after all!" Mikan said, wanting to throw up once again; this time, not literally.

"So... Till we find a place to live, we'll be living here. This is such a big place after all... This definitely doesn't suit you." Hotaru said as Mikan started to breathe heavily.

"Hotaruuuuuuuuu! You baka baka hentaiiiiiiii!" Mikan cried out loud as Hotaru stood up, coolly.

"By the way, where's the kitchen?"

* * *

"Oi Naru."

Narumi heard his employer's cool voice out of the blue.

"Ah... Natsume-kun! What's it?" Narumi asked, smiling sheepishly as ever.

"That advertisement." Natsume said, making Narumi clear his throat to explain things in the next second.

"Umm... Yeah... I posted it, first thing in the morning! Right after you asked me to do it. Both on the internet and in the evening newspaper. My men keeps on making calls to the experienced workers of other companies to come and join ours. We've received about thirty positive answers so far. Just in a couple of hours!" Narumi said as Natsume's heart relieved a little. He had never expected it to proceed this sooner. However, he couldn't trust this man at once. How could he? He didn't trust him until—

"Natsume..."

He heard a very familiar voice coming out of nowhere.

Natsume turned his head and looked in the direction of the door, only to see a gentle pair of familiar eyes, smiling at his widened crimson ones, blissfully.

"Ruka?" Natsume said as he stepped forward, surprised.

"Natsume... After a long one and a half days, aren't we?" Ruka said and hugged him tightly, his eyes sparkling with new tears as Natsume hugged him back, emotions overflowing between their hearts.

"Ruka... But why did you—"

"Natsume... Please make me your employee, will you?" Ruka asked as both Natsume's and Narumi's eyes widened.

_"Whoa! My advertisement! Was this fast?"_ Narumi thought as a drop of sweat rolled down his face.

"How did you get to know? This early?" Natsume asked as Narumi listened to them carefully.

"I dunno... It was Imai who showed me the advertisement in the morning. We actually planned to come tomorrow... But you know... She changes her plans in a blink of an eye. So we took the flight and here we're." Ruka said in an explanatory voice, making Narumi gape in silence.

"So this man is good at something, after all." Natsume said emotionlessly as he pointed at a furiously blushing Narumi.

Suddenly, the door of the President's room banged opened for the second time of the day, making all three of them look in that direction, surprised.

"We're all here!" Said a cheerful male voice, making Natsume grit his teeth in disgust. _"So that bastard's also here."_ Natsume cursed under his breath as five heads appeared from the door, making Ruka and Narumi lose their minds.

_"This fast?!" _ Narumi thought as his heart stopped beating.

_"These guys?!" _ Ruka thought as a drop of sweat rolled down from his forehead.

* * *

**Hello my dear readers! Sooo it was my 24****th**** chapter! :-D Very short and flat! No Romance at all! :'( Sorry about that...**

**It's all about building the future again! But it has to be done, somehow... So bear with it...**

**I dedicate this chapter for Hotaru Lovers! :-D**

**Many of you guys had said you loved Hotaru... So here's more! :-D**

**Umm 90+ reviews! ^_^ Yea! I'm almost there! :-***

**Thanks for your support guys! ^_^**

**cposcabee:- Haha! You said that was fast huh? And I say, that's me! ^_^ Thanks babe... Keep supporting!**

**iiAriya:- LOL! Yeah! Ms. Vampire suits you! Your hair is pure black? Mine too! ^_^ C'mon tell me! Is your name truly Raven Anne? Your real name? No can be! Umm Haha I should thank you on behalf of my boyfriend! :-D Thanks for calling him gorgeous, which he really is. ;-) Thanks for your comment honey... :-***

**Katherine Kalissa Amara:- Whoa! Mixed marriage! Thought so! Umm haha btw, your daddy taught you Sinhala? Your 'Singlish', (I mean Sinhala words in English letters) looks really fine! ^_^ Mama inne Kandy. I live in Kandy; a world heritage city in Sri Lanka. If you've heard of the Temple of tooth relic. ^_^ It's kinda shocking but feels great to share some words in Sinhala with a fellow writer! Haha ^_^ It makes me feel this is a small world after all...**

**HaCel:- Haha! Don't worry honey... Nothing ****_that _****bad is gonna happen in this story... *wicked grin. Umm anyway... umm yeah... you guessed it right about Hotaru. Umm thanks for keeping in touch honey... Yup yuppp! I blushed like hell! Haha! :-D He's a worse perv than Natsume...well... most of the time! :-D So makes me blush all the time! ^_^ Btw! I'm 20! How old are you?**

**Guest:- Yeah! I Love Hotaru too! I Love how she helps Natsume in pursuing Mikan! ^_^ Keep reading! :-***

**newroz:- Haha yeah! I Love every kind of kisses! :-D If only it comes from my lover's lips! ^_^ Thanks babe! Keep reading and keep reviewing! Love you now until forever, more than anyone else! (Quoted from Natsume) ;-)**

**jrenamae:- Yeah... I'll make sure to make all the couples end up together by the end of this fic! Life won't be smooth for them, yet... They'll end up together for sure! Trust me! ^_^ Love you! Please be by my side forever! :-***

**Thank you all for your support people!**

**Love you all!**

**Hey... It's women's day today! Happy women's day people! ^_^**

**We women ROCK! ^_^ Hip hip hooray! ^_^**

**Do males read my story? Do males read fanfiction? Please lemme know!**

**Sooo 25****th**** will be out in a couple of days!**

**Wait for me!**

**Bye bye!**

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	25. Sushi

**25\. Sushi**

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It was a simple random morning for everyone living in Tokyo, including a certain pair of crimson eyes that were focused on the morning newspaper, dreamily.

"Oh..." The crimson eyed woman gasped as her eyes stopped on a certain headline all of a sudden.

"The Hyuuga heir breathes life into the long dead HISC." She read it silently, a smile plastered on her lips.

"Kaoru-sama..." She heard someone calling out for her, making her lift her eyes from the paper, still smiling.

"Oh... Imai-san..." She said as she stood up, smiling invitingly.

"Did you see today's headline?" The other woman, Mrs. Imai asked, approaching her friend with an equally bright smile on her lips.

"Yeah... Just saw it. It's been only four months, but looks like they've done a lot in such a short period. Really amazing..." Kaoru said, her crimson orbs twinkling in the soft morning light.

"Yeah... Especially Natsume... He's a very effective lead." Mrs. Imai said as both of them sat on the couch next to each other.

"He is... But if Hotaru-chan and others hadn't joined him on time... He wouldn't have achieved all this... It was Hotaru-chan who dragged everyone into this." Kaoru said as she looked at her friend with gratitude.

"You know... She's really stubborn... But this time it worked for the betterment of everyone." Mrs. Imai said as she smiled back at Kaoru's pleasantly lit up face, lighthearted.

Remembering of something, Mrs. Imai suddenly turned to Kaoru's side again, a question on her face.

"By the way, Kaoru-sama... I saw Mikan-chan had changed a little... I mean... Her figure... She was so thin but now it seems she's put on some weight... Could it be something...?" Mrs. Imai asked as she took hold of Kaoru's hands and squeezed them, pushing her to spill the truth. Hearing that, Kaoru's smile widened and opened her mouth to announce the holy truth, blushing a little.

"Umm... Yeah... Looks like I'm gonna be a grandma soon..." Kaoru said, smiling radiantly as her friend's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh my God! I thought so! Oh... Kaoru-sama... You're so lucky... I'm so happy for you... It seems everything good happens all at once!" Said Mrs. Imai, shaking Kaoru's hands with both of hers, her eyes sparkling in the light of bliss. Seeing her happiness, Kaoru's happiness doubled from within, making her shed tears of joy. She remembered how she had hated to hear that Mikan was pregnant. She remembered how it had almost made her reject her son. But now, nothing of the past did matter. It seemed no one cared how or when she had got pregnant in the first place. Her son had achieved everything in time to cover up the past, so that she didn't have to worry about anything, anymore. Therefore Kaoru Hyuuga was now, extremely at ease.

* * *

"Mi—Mikan-chan?!" Nobara's shocked voice mixed to the air as everyone in the messy kitchen turned their heads to look at the intruder, emotionless. Nobara walked forward, not believing her eyes. The kitchen staff was pushed back and a big bellied brunette was there, carrying a long spoon, stunned by the entrance of their clerk.

"Mikan-chan! What're you doing?" Nobara asked again, her eyes fixed upon the brunette who was now patting her no-more-flat belly, smiling sheepishly.

"Ah...umm... Nobara-chan... I'm thinking of visiting Natsume at the office... today..." Mikan answered with the same sheepish grin still on her lips as Nobara sighed, shooting the kitchen staff with death glares.

"Why did you people let her do this? Takahashi-san, aren't you supposed to keep an eye on her?" She asked from the fat robot-like woman who was standing beside a very busy Mikan. "And Makihara-san...? You could've done that for her. You all know what Natsume-sama's orders are. But you still... Ugh!" Nobara said in a disappointed voice as she turned to a very worried cook who was panting in exhaustion.

"Nobara-chan... Makihara-san helped me... Takahashi-san too! It was me who told them to stay back... I wanted to make something for Natsume with my own hands! Is that bad?" Mikan asked and pouted, making Nobara smile gently at her this time.

"But Mikan-chan... You know... All Natsume-sama wants is your safety. He'll be mad at all of us when he gets to know of this... Now please... Go back to your room Mikan-chan. You look so tried... We'll do the rest for you... Don't worry..." Nobara said in the most gentle voice of hers, trying so hard to convince Mikan. But for Mikan, that wasn't enough.

"But Nobara-chan... My rice balls aren't—" Mikan couldn't complete her sentence for Nobara stepped forward and held Mikan's hand, putting away the spoon.

"Mikan-chan... You're sweating! You must've been here, standing for so long... Which isn't good. You gotta attend that Yoga class in the evening, remember? If you keep standing here like this, you won't be able to attend that today and it will be bad for your baby." Nobara went through her list of instructions as Mikan frowned with agitation. She had totally forgotten about that yoga thingy. Now that Nobara had made her become speechless, she had to accept the defeat.

"Umm... Okay then..." Mikan said in the most disappointed tone and turned to Makihara who was still panting, his head almost sunk in the pan of half cooked rice.

"Makihara-san... Please do the rest for me... Make the balls out of it... And pack them nicely... I'm sorry I put all of you in danger..." Mikan said with puffy eyes and stepped out of the room with Takahashi and Nobara following her.

Before disappearing into her room, Mikan stopped and turned to Nobara, resting her hand on her belly and leaning to the doorframe.

"Nobara-chan... Can you ask Megane to be ready to take me to the office before eleven?" Mikan asked as Nobara sighed and smiled.

"Alright, Mikan-chan... I don't approve this but if you wanna go there so badly, I can't ask you to stay. Both your happiness and sorrow affect your baby... Umm I'll go with you... Can't let you go alone..." Nobara said as Mikan looked at her with grateful eyes.

"Thanks Nobara-chan! But aren't you supposed to go back before nine? You sure Natsume won't be mad at you?" Mikan asked, confused a little.

"Umm... Natsume-sama won't notice it. Now that many clerks are there to take care of my work... I'm nearly jobless." Nobara said cheerfully and winked at Mikan before she turned to leave the scene.

* * *

Mikan being Mikan, never could make it on time. She was late. She watched as the workers returned to the seven storied building after spending their lunchtime break outside. That sight was more than enough for her to realize that Natsume, her husband didn't need her nicely wrapped sushi anymore.

"Don't make that face, Mikan-chan... It doesn't suit you... Let's hope Natsume-sama hasn't had his lunch yet... He never cares about food you know... There's a huge chance that—" Nobara was cut off.

"No... I'd better throw this away!" A very angry brunette said, pulling on her hair, restlessly. Seeing her situation, Nobara just smiled and signed Megane to open the door for Mikan to get down. As Megane did, Mikan looked at Nobara with tears.

"I don't wanna go there anymore..." Mikan said, sobbing heavily.

"Oh, c'mon Mikan-chan... I'm sure Natsume-sama and all the others would be so happy to see you at the office... Just walk in... It's been a while since you last saw everyone together. Plus, there're many new employees too." Nobara said, aiming to arouse Mikan's curiosity.

"Umm... Then you keep this. I'll make it look like a casual visit... I don't wanna see Natsume's stupid smirk!" Mikan said, handing the wicker basket to the clerk, not wanting to hear Natsume say 'Oh... here she comes, late again.'

"But Mikan-chan... You worked so hard to make this! From the morning! Please take this with you... At least, Imai-chan won't miss the chance to taste this..." Nobara said, smiling with an extreme gentleness. Hearing that, Mikan's eyes were lightened up again. She knew Hotaru won't ever miss a chance to eat seafood, not in another thousand years. With that, she jumped outta the car and walked freely towards the entrance, smiling at everyone passed by.

"Mikan-chan! You shouldn't run!" She heard Nobara's worried voice coming from behind.

"Oh... Who're you... charming woman?"

Someone spoke out of the blue, making Mikan stop and look at the intruder, stunned. It was only then she saw a tall slender body, towering her, his face bent down to take a close look of her dumbstruck face. The guy had a long black hair, tied in a ponytail at the back of his head; somewhat attractive, you could say so. His seductive eyes then ran down from her face through her chest and then stopped upon her round belly, gasping in silence.

"Oh my... Looks like I'm too late..." He said as soon as his gaze shifted from her belly to her stunned face, nearly sobbing.

"Wha-what?" Mikan asked, her eyes narrowing at his statement.

"But still... Even with that belly... You look so damn hot!" He couldn't keep his lips from mumbling those words.

A few silent seconds passed between them, awkwardly.

"Ouch!" The ponytailed man winced as he felt a soft touch on his head, making him turn around to see who the intruder was.

"Oi Tsubasa! What was that for?!" The ponytail asked from the blue hair whose eyes were gleaming with anger. Seeing the entrance of the blue-haired guy, Mikan couldn't stay silent anymore.

"Tsubasa-senpaiii!" Mikan cried out loud as she jumped forward to hug her beloved senpai, tears rising in her eyes.

"Oh... Oh... Mikan... Just calm down... It's not like we didn't see each other for years! Reacting this fast isn't good for your health now..." Tsubasa said, holding Mikan gently in his embrace and patting her head as the ponytail looked suspiciously at the couple hugging in front of his eyes.

"Oi! Tsubasa! Who's she? And how do you know her? And how come I don't know someone so sexy like her! Ugh! If I could, I'd make this gal my wife! All I need is one night!" The ponytail went on saying as Mikan kept trembling in embarrassment.

"All I know is that you're gonna get fired." Tsubasa said as he let go of Mikan's hand and moved aside, hurriedly, scared by something he had seen in the previous second.

"Eh? Who's gonna fire me! It's not like I asked _Hyuuga President's_ wife to sleep with me, huh." The ponytail said, smirking widely.

"It looks like that."

A familiar hoarse voice joined the conversation, making everyone's sweat drop.

"Ohhh... Natsume-kun!" The ponytail spoke in distress as Natsume approached Mikan who was standing there like a mere wall. Without a second word, Natsume grabbed Mikan's hand and dragged her along the path leading to the main entrance.

"Ando."

He spoke as he stopped in front of the doors, with Mikan hanging on his hand.

"Next time you hold her that way... will be the last time you hold anyone in your arms." He said before he disappeared into the building with Mikan and her holy hamper, leaving two thunderstruck guys in the yard.

"If I lose my job, it's all thanks to you, Tono." Tsubasa said, gritting his teeth.

"That woman... That woman's... his wife?" Tono hadn't still fully recovered from the shock.

"You'll have to feed Misaki and me."

"She's his wife?"

"You know Misaki will eat your brains if she gets to know this."

"That innocent girl is Natsume-kun's wife?"

"Screw you Tono!" Tsubasa yelled before he stomped away into the building, muttering curses under his breath.

"So... What brings you here?"

Natsume asked from his big bellied brunette wife who was sitting on the couch, her face buried exhaustedly in the hamper.

"Nothing." Mikan said as she lifted her face from its burial place and looked up at Natsume, placing her chin on the hamper this time.

"What's in it?" Natsume asked as he pointed his forefinger at Mikan's treasure box, curious.

"Eh? This? Ah... It's nothing..." Mikan said, smiling sheepishly, not wanting tell the truth and receive the most scornful remark of the century.

Hearing her lie, Natsume approached her without delay and sat beside her, wanting to know the truth at once. He then grabbed her hamper and opened the lid, revealing a meal of nicely packed sushi. Seeing that, his eyes widened that he couldn't hide his expressions anymore.

"You made these?" Natsume asked, his eyes still widened in surprise.

"Yeah..." Mikan said, not sure what his response gonna be like in the next second.

"I told you not to step inside the kitchen!" Natsume said in his deep hoarse voice, but controlled his anger in it. He didn't want to show her that he was completely displeased with what she had done by breaking his rule, but he didn't want to show that he was completely pleased either.

"Ugh! But I wanted to give you something special!" Mikan yelled back, making Natsume's eyes grow wider.

"But you must've had your lunch already... I'm always late." Mikan said, looking down at her feet, defeated.

Seeing her defeated expression, Natsume just took one of the rice cakes in his hand and stuffed it inside his mouth.

"Eh?!" Mikan gasped as Natsume looked at her with his gleaming crimson eyes, melting her down, inch by inch.

"Why?" He asked, his voice muffled by the food.

"What're you... What're you doing?" Mikan asked, her hazel orbs forming big zeros.

"Eating." Natsume answered flatly before he took another cake in his hand and stuffed it inside his mouth again.

"You didn't have your lunch?" Mikan asked with the same horrified look in her eyes.

"You're so annoying!" Natsume answered and stuffed another in his mouth as Mikan smiled and bent forward, reaching for his cheek with her lips. She then kissed him on the cheek and in a millisecond he grabbed her by her hand and took hold of her face with both of his hands. In the next second, his lips were on her temple, kissing it softly as Mikan closed her eyes, drowning herself in a pool of emotions.

"Oh... What's going on in here?" A stoic voice emitted to the air, making the kissing couple open their eyes and look in the direction of the door, Mikan; stunned and Natsume; annoyed.

"Aren't you taught how to knock on a door?" A very annoyed Natsume Hyuuga spoke as the black haired Systems Administrator entered the room, revealing a bunch of heads queued behind her, all smiling gently, except for the one in the front.

"Sorry for interrupting chief. But everyone here (except me) wanted to see your wife so badly. So I just took them here." The stoic girl said as she threw herself on the opposite couch and began to stare at Mikan's hamper, suspiciously.

"Whatever." Natsume said as he pressed his back on the backrest of the couch and closed his eyes, disgusted.

But Mikan couldn't keep calm. How could she? Her best friend was there in front of her eyes, dressed in a beautiful office kit.

"Hotaruuuu! You look really beautiful todayyyyyyyy!" Mikan cried out loud and tried to jump off the couch, only to find that it was impossible. Natsume was holding her hand.

"Don't chirp. I feel really sorry for _my_ baby."

He said as Hotaru nodded in agreement.

"Me too. He has the clumsiest mom in the whole world." She said out coolly as others giggled in unison.

"So Mikan... We couldn't see each other since our wedding day huh? It's been a long time..." Misaki said as she approached Mikan and sat beside her, taking her hand in hers.

"Misaki-senpai... You look even more beautiful after the marriage! Guess Tsubasa-senpai's love's the reason..." Mikan said out cutely as Tsubasa winked at Misaki's beet red face making it worse for her.

"Oh just don't lie Mikan... Everyone can see it's you who has become more and more beautiful in the course of time..." Misaki blurted out as Mikan blushed in response.

In the next minute, the door banged open for the second time, revealing two more faces; one smiling and the other, grinning.

"Ruka-pyon and Koko!" Mikan said out loud, smiling surprised.

"Sakura... It's really nice to see you in here..." Ruka said as he moved forward, smiling gently.

"Electronics Technician is here for your service, Madam Hyuuga!" The messy haired guy said as he followed Ruka's lead, grinning sheepishly.

"Electronics Technician? Come to think of it... Natsume... What's the name of your post?" Mikan asked as she turned to Natsume who seated next to her with his eyes closed, hanging on his elbow once again, making him look at her, annoyed.

"Ba—ka! Now you ask it." Natsume said in a scornful voice and closed his eyes again, smirking.

"He's the chairman of the board, Mikan. Or you can say, the chief executive officer or the president." Tsubasa said as Mikan's eyes widened, visibly.

"Why? Did you expect me to be the store clerk?" Natsume asked as he looked at Mikan's weird expression, smirking again. Hearing him, Mikan just pouted and turned to Tsubasa, questioningly.

"Then what are you and Misaki-senpai? And Ruka-pyon too?" Mikan asked, shifting her gaze to Ruka for a second.

"I'm the Senior Storage Engineer and Misaki's the Program manager. Ruka-kun's the chief financial officer or... you can call him the vice president too." Tsubasa explained on behalf of everyone. It all, however, sounded greek to our brunette.

"And I am... the Senior Network Engineer, Akira Tonouchi."

A new voice added to the conversation making Natsume grit his teeth.

"Ah... I'm glad you still are." Natsume said, keeping his eyes shut, annoyed.

"I'm sorry about the previous incident, Lady Hyuuga... It was a total mistake..." The ponytailed guy said with a sorrowful face.

"It's okay, Tono-senpai! I didn't take it seriously..." Mikan said as she smiled at the tall dark haired figure, making Natsume grit his teeth once more.

"Now it's time to get back to work." Natsume announced as Mikan's sweat dropped.

"Wha-t? We just started to—" She was cut off by Natsume's cold hoarse voice.

"This... is not a family gathering. And don't forget you have to attend that yoga class at three o' clock." Natsume said in a harsh tone, making Mikan narrow her eyes in disappointment.

"How come you remember everything?!" Mikan said in her most disappointed voice as others stood up to leave the room, not wanting to see their chief lose his temper once more.

"So Mikan... We all can meet some other time... Don't worry..." Misaki said and hugged Mikan gently.

"Please be safe... Mikan... Your dates are getting closer... We all are waiting to welcome our new fellow..." Misaki added as Mikan's eyes dampened with tears. With the same teary eyes, Mikan looked at her husband and saw the light of hope inside his eyes too. She hoped her baby won't disappoint their hopes. She hoped _their_ _baby_ won't disappoint _him_.

After everyone had left the room, Natsume stood up from the couch and helped Mikan stand up as well. It was her seventh month and it was impossible for her to stand up without anyone's help sometimes.

Natsume watched as she stood up with difficulty, whimpering a little.

"Why? Is something wrong?" He asked, anxiously.

"No no... It's nothing... I just do it out of habit... I mean... the whimpering..." Mikan answered cheerfully, leaning on to Natsume's body.

"Don't attend that class today. Just go home and rest." Natsume ordered, as Mikan's expression changed.

"No can do! I gotta go there! I mean... They say... If I don't exercise enough, my labor would be extremely painful... A little tired won't harm anything!" Mikan said in a serious tone, smiling at the end of the last sentence.

"Okay then. I'll drive you there. Do you wanna go home and change?"

Natsume asked, concerned to death as Mikan smiled surprised.

"No... But you can't come outta here. Can you?" Mikan asked as Natsume smirked.

"Why'd you always forget... that this is _my _company?" He said as he took hold of her hand and walked her out of the office room, heading towards the elevator.

* * *

**Hiii people! Sorry sorry sorryyy! I took so long to update! :'( **

**Are you guys still there with me?**

**I kept you waiting for sooo long... I know it can't be forgiven that easily... But please do...**

**At least I didn't abandon my story as some of the writers do... So please please forgive me! **

**Umm... I actually needed some ideas to continue with... So I had to wait... And mind you, my relationship is also getting in the way I guess... I gotta commit to that too... You know... **

**But anyway! I'm not gonna abandon my story! I've come this far... and now I've only a few chapters left. ^_^**

**Anyway... Today I gotta thank someone especially... 'cause she showed me the real meaning of reviewing! Reviewing is meant for keeping the writer in good spirits. And it makes us correct ourselves too! In the previous chapter I had made a funny error and iiAriya, you made me correct myself by giving me the right light! Love you for that! :-***

**And Oh 100+ reviews! This is the day I've been waiting for! Love you all, my reviewers! :-*  
HaCel:- Thanks a bunch babe! Thought you were younger than me haha! Anyways... hope you're still on with the story... Please keep reviewing! I Love your reviews soooooooooooo much! :-***

**newroz:- Haha thank you! And hope your exam's over? Or is it yet to come? Anyway! Please remember that my blessings are always with you! Don't worry... Pick up the courage and go on! Love ya! :-* **

**Katherine Kalissa Amara:- Ah... Umm... I'm happy to hear that you've visited my country! Umm next time you visit, please don't forget to come see me! Haha! I'll be a nice host! ^_^**

**lonely heart:- Thanks a lot and sorry for taking longer than usual to update this chapter... Please keep reviewing! So happy to see a new reviewer in my list... ^_^**

**Guest:- Yeah I usually take only a few hours to complete a chapter... But this time it took more than eight days... Really bad... I'm so sorry... Please stay on with the story...**

**cposcabee:- Thanks honey... You never forget to post a review! I Love you sooo much! If my memory's correct, you were there even when I was writing my first fanfic! Thank you so much for the ceaseless support! ^_^**

**jrenamae:- Thank you sooo much for calling it fantastic honey! Umm hope you're still there though I took longer than usual to update... Poor me... Please stay with me till the end... Love you! :-***

**And finally,**

**Riki :- How am I supposed to help you honey? I know ESA Marie and I was once, her fan. She's a brilliant writer and her fic, A prince for Mikan stops at it's 27****th**** chapter and I was among the people who were disappointed by the sudden breakage. But still, I don't think she's passed away or anything... She must be alive but not active on fanfiction anymore. Maybe she's too busy or something... **

**Of course I'm willing to help you but you'll have to gimme a clue. Please tell me how to. Okay...? Thanks for your review btw... ^_^ And I'm shocked by your news! :'(**

**So people...**

**I'm back with the story so don't ever worry! **

**I love you and I won't ever disappoint you!**

**I'll be back with my 26****th**** chapter and till then...**

**Bye bye...**

**Have a nice weekend!**

**Love you all!**

**-Awful Nightmare-**

Sneak peek at the 26th chapter of Hidden underneath:-

Mikan:- "It's your baby I'm carrying!"

Natsume:- "Do you sell fluff puffs?"

Mikan:- "Natsume! It's not what you think!"

Natsume:- "No one forced you. It was you! I saw it with my own eyes!"

Mikan:- "Ouch! He kicked me..."

Natsume:- "Then I'll do it again."


	26. Finally, I'm back! (New scenes added)

**26\. Finally, I'm back!**

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She walked out of the doors, watching the road observantly, aiming to spot Megane waiting for her somewhere down the road. It had been two and a half hours since Natsume had dropped her there at her yoga class which was there in the midst of the sun burnt skyscrapers and clumsy evening rush of Kyoto's main town. She narrowed her eyes and walked forward, sweat oozing from her porcelain forehead.

But still, no trace of Megane.

She knew she had to wait, but all of a sudden, something interesting caught her eye.

_"Oh... Kami-sama... It looks delicious!" _

She thought, drooling over the sign board of the shop which was there in front of her eyes, on the opposite side. Ice-cream. Only God knew how much she loved ice-cream. But according to Natsume, her husband, it was RED food, meaning no ice-cream during pregnancy. She hated how her husband could be so traditional in the matters like marriage life and child birth.

"He's crazy!" She said to herself and continued to drool over the sign board again until she came up with the decision that she had to go there, all by herself. Since Megane wasn't there yet, it won't be a problem if she took two or three minutes to deal with an ice-cream secretly. "He won't find out!" She said to herself and smirked cunningly. Then she crossed the road at once and reached the store, sniffing the smell of ice-cream like a little pup. That store wasn't selling ice-cream solely; it had all kinds of sweets displayed in the showcases, making Mikan change her mind and buy two boxes of fluff puffs instead of ice-cream. She then took it in her hand and started to walk out of the store, her eyes fixed on the two nicely decorated boxes, drooling.

"Mikan?"

She felt someone tapping on her shoulder.

"Eh?" Mikan replied, turning around to see who that was. Two or three seconds passed and Mikan froze on the spot as her brain processed the picture of the intruder to bring out some meaning outta it. The meaning of his picture was never good. She felt sweat starting to roll down as the tall blonde guy moved closer to her, his eyes shifting from her face to her belly from time to time.

"Oh my god... Is this really you, Mikan?" The blonde guy spoke, walking out of the store and towards her. Hearing him speak, Mikan's ears went deaf and her heart stopped beating without giving out a warning. When he moved much closer, Mikan stepped back, unknowingly. Her face was awful, but it wasn't the case with him. His eyes had widened yet his lips were forming a weird type of smile, making Mikan's situation worse.

"Are you married now, Mikan?" The guy asked, stopping in front of her terrified face, making her back off some more.

"Are you afraid of me?" The guy asked again as Mikan hesitated to speak.

"D—don't c-come closer!" Mikan yelled, making a few of the people around them turn their heads to look at her.

"Oh... I mean no harm! I just need to talk to you..." The guy spoke as she stopped backing off and stood there still in front of him, picking up courage to face the nuisance in front of her eyes. She felt her eyes starting to blot as her gaze stopped in his eyes, and her hands trembling, eager to slap him across his face. Seeing his unchanged smile, her mind started to overflow with memories from the past, making her eyes go dim. She didn't know when he caught her by her shoulders and walked her to a table inside the café and make her sit there. Feeling the table in front of her, she rested her head on it, breathing heavily. Her lips had become pale, so was her face.

"Please, drink this, Mikan..." She heard him speak through her collapsed senses.

"No! Last time... Last time I drank something you gave me... I ended up in bed with you!" The exhausted brunette yelled, raising her head, shaking off the dizziness for a millisecond, before she rested her head again on the table, weeping silently.

"I know... You shouldn't trust me... But now you need this..." He said, shoving the glass of water in front of her collapsed face.

"Your dog needs it." The brunette yelled again in a weakening tone, clutching her belly with one hand.

"Please... Mikan... Give me one more chance to explain—" The blonde guy was saying until he was interrupted by a very angry brunette.

"Explain? What's left there to explain? It's your baby I'm carrying!" She cried out loud, making the whole place focus their eyes on them.

"What?" The blonde asked, immediately, not believing a word.

"Ah? You don't know anything huh? Don't think I don't remember how you screwed me!" Mikan yelled again as the guy's expression changed to the worst.

"What're you talking about?! Are you crazy?" The guy asked in return, his eyes had lost its colour by now.

"Of course I am! Why shouldn't I be! You ate my whole life! And thanks to Natsume, I'm alive today!" She replied as a tear fell down from her determined eyes.

"Ah... Natsume? So you're married to Natsume huh? That airhead. Of course, you should thank him then." The guy said, smirking from the corner of his mouth. But however, the thing she had said had made him change his mind. He needed to go on with the story, but with a different plot line.

"It's not Natsume. It's you who's the airhead! You're an abuser! A torturer! A perverted asshole!" Mikan yelled her lungs out, her eyes dancing in their holes like those of a lunatic, depressed yet energetic at the same time.

Hearing her trying hard to pick the perfect nickname for him, the guy just smirked, his eyes fixed on the crowded entrance of the busy cafeteria.

He'd been seeing it the whole time; that fiery gaze, looking upon them while Mikan was busy crying her lungs out, throwing different nicknames at the person in front of her. Her chair was facing the wall, but not his; it was facing the crowd and the busy entrance.

The only thing that the crowd could see was his fearless smirking face, and not her swollen teary eyes.

He felt his fingers losing the grip on the parcel he had been carrying until now: fluff puffs, her favorite. He didn't know what to do next; move forward or to stay back. But his impulse pushed him forward, his fingers forming a fist. His now pale lips were plastered together, not knowing what expression to give out, yet his blood-red eyes were burning and his heart was sighing, like a fully burnt furnace.

Seeing him approaching them, the blonde man's smirk grew wide.

"Hush... Mikan..." The guy said out suddenly, reaching out for her hand on the table and taking hold of it with a sudden outburst of emotions.

"What the..." Mikan said as her eyes grew wide, trying to take her hand back from his grip. Seeing her trying to struggle, he tightened the grip on her hand and began to squeeze and caress it with the other.

"I know... You can't forgive me..." The guy said with utmost gentleness, his eyes taking glimpses of the approaching figure of the raven haired lad from time to time. "But... I want you and _my child."_ The blonde man said and the brunette's ears bled.

He had spoken those words loud enough to have two stiff arms around his neck, grabbing his collar and making him stand up.

Mikan had to wait two or three seconds to figure out what was going on there in front of her eyes.

"Na—Natsume!" Finally, she managed to speak the appropriate word.

Hearing her calling his name, Natsume stopped to give her a stern look and then continued with his punches at his blonde opponent's face.

Mikan wanted him to stop beating as the helpless blonde was already in a pool of blood and she was scared that Natsume might kill him right on the spot.

"Natsume... Natsume! Please stop... Please!" Mikan cried as she looked at the crowd they had attracted to their location, anxiously. But Natsume continued heartlessly, his rage had risen to the level of his throat by now.

"Huh... Do it! Kill me! But that..." the blonde stopped to spit blood from his broken mouth, smirking sarcastically. "But that won't change the fact that it's my—" He was cut off by another painful blow at his jaw, making him land horizontally on a chair nearby. Natsume approached him again as Mikan stood there silent, pale like a ghost.

The crowd gasped as Natsume turned the unconscious guy's face to make sure that he wasn't in a state to speak garbage again.

"Natsume..." Mikan spoke as he walked towards her, his eyes blotting a little.

"Natsume I'm..." Mikan said again, her voice muffled by her sighing.

"Let's go home." He said in a hurried tone, looking away, dreamily.

Mikan just followed him, piercing through the whispering crowd, away from the café towards the car.

* * *

"Natsume... that was..."

"Don't speak a word."

"Natsume, it's not what you think!"

"I told you already."

"But you gotta know the truth!"

"Truth huh."

"Why'd you make fun out of me in such a crucial time!"

" 'Cause I saw the truth. No one forced you. It was you! I saw it with my own eyes!"

"How could you! How could you say no one forced me! What you saw was only a..."

"Now stop it already."

"But I can't stand it when you suspect me!"

"Well, I don't."

"No! You do! Natsume you know I..."

"You want me to get off from here?"

"No!"

"Then be quiet."

The rest of the drive was silent and solemn. Natsume pressed his head on the backrest, tapping the steer restlessly as Mikan kept her eyes on the endless line of vehicles outside, caressing her enlarged belly.

Her mind was overflowing with questions and she didn't know how she managed to stay calm after what she had gone through earlier in the day. But one thing was clear; her past had started to haunt her again.

"Mikan-chan!" Her two maids spoke in unison as she walked in alone. Natsume had already left for work again after dropping her by the gates of the mansion house, safely.

"Yuri-san... Takahashi-san..." Mikan acknowledged them weakly making both of the maids move forward and take hold of her feeble body.

"What's wrong Mikan-chan? You don't look well..." Takahashi asked as they led Mikan towards her room which was downstairs now.

"No it's just... The yoga class... it was a bit tiresome..." Mikan answered as they made her sit down on the edge of her bed, smiling faintly.

"Oh... Is that so... Maybe because it was your first day after all... Don't worry, Mikan-chan... It all will be gone after a little nap... Just rest here for now, Mikan-chan..." Yuri said before she stood up and signed Takahashi to go back to the kitchen and bring a glass of fresh fruit juice for Mikan.

After they both had left, Mikan just lay there, staring at the empty ceiling as usual. Her heart was thumping and was heaving over the images from earlier of the day. She remembered how her past crush ignored the fact that it was his baby at first but made his mind to accept them both at the end and how Natsume heard it all and beat the hell out of him out of extreme pain and anger. She remembered his tearful crimson eyes, questioning her silently as if she had betrayed him in accepting Kaname's offer to sit inside a coffee house with him again in her life. Her heart skipped a beat at that thought. She hated that feeling of being suspected by her beloved. And she didn't know how to win his trust back.

_"Huh... Do it! Kill me! But that... but that won't change the fact that it's my..." _Mikan's mind was replaying that scene over and over again. She was sure what he'd been trying to say. She was sure why Natsume stopped him from saying it aloud. And she knew it was the truth as well. It was the bitter truth she'd never wanted accept. No matter how much they pretended to be a happy family, the flames were still right behind them, searching for a chance burn their happiness in to ashes. At one point she thought it was her belly which was at fault at the moment. The same belly she'd thought had made them nest together was now trying to part them mercilessly. But there was no escape from this now. Or could she escape? Somehow? Could she remove all the bonds she had with her haunting past, somehow?

Mikan opened her eyes at that thought, standing up from the bed, determined. She then caressed her belly once more, tears oozing from her eyes. She loved it, truly, yet she loved him the most.

* * *

"Mikan-chan..." Yuri-san spoke out gently from behind the closed door: Mikan's evening glass of fruit juice in her hand.  
Hearing nothing from within the room, the maid spoke again; a bit louder this time, thinking she'd fallen asleep.

"Mikan-chan... Are you asleep?" Yuri called out again to receive no answer from behind the door once more.

"Mikan-chan..." Yuri spoke as she tried to open the door knob only to find that it was locked from behind. And that revelation, made Yuri shake in fear.

"Mi—Mikan-chan!"

* * *

"Tsk. That idiot is back." Tsubasa said after checking his phone for the hundredth time: anxiety was visible in his eyes.

"What's it?"

However, there was no way of hiding it from his beloved wife, no matter how hard he tried to remain calm.

"Oh... Misaki... Umm... It's just that..." He couldn't help but stammer at Misaki's sharp edged question. But, she wasn't in the mood to word play.

"Oh c'mon! Spill it at once, idiot!" The short haired girl asked, uneasy to know what was troubling him that much.

"That idiot is back."

He answered and Misaki gasped in utter disappointment.

"You mean... He?" She replied, not sure about her guess.

"Yeah. And it looks like they've already met." Tsubasa's anxious voice spoke again, making Misaki sit beside him on the couch, interested.

"How could you be so sure?" Misaki asked as she handed him his coffee, her eyes focused on his anxious ones.

"He's hospitalized." Tsubasa said, putting the cup again on the table, dreamily as Misaki jumped in utter shock.

"What? You mean, Kaname? He's hospitalized? But... what does it have to do with Mikan?"

"I dunno. But I'm sure it has something to do with Natsume."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm afraid this guy would turn everything upside down again."

"Nothing of that sort would happen." Misaki said, putting her arm around his waist, comforting his worried senses. "Natsume will take care of it all... We needn't worry..." She added before she rested her head on his right shoulder, forcing him to push away the dark clouds.

"Only if Natsume keeps on trusting her... yeah... we won't need to worry." A very worried Tsubasa said, taking his wife into a half embrace, comfortingly.

"So... You think we should... go see him?" Misaki asked, handing him the coffee once more. Hearing her asking that, Tsubasa's anxiety reached its peak.

"I think yes. We'd better go check out his situation. I seriously wanna know what he's up to..." The blue haired guy spoke in a mysterious tone before taking a sip of his coffee dreamily.

It wasn't really hard for them to find him at the hospital; the guy was sitting on a couch in front of the busy receptionist, ready to be discharged.

"Ah... Kaname! God! What the hell happened to you?" The anxious blue hair asked from the once-so-charming blonde, who had, currently, plasters all over his body.

"Huh. Thought your _master _won't let you come see me. What if he finds out? After all... you guys are all his slaves now, aren't you? Licking his feet in return for feeding your starved bellies." Kaname said smirking from the corner of his mouth, peeking at Misaki over Tsubasa's shoulder. Hearing his sarcasm, Tsubasa just smiled and moved closer to his old friend, unaffected.

"So... Looks like I have nothing to say in defense..." Tsubasa said, sitting on the couch on the opposite side, facing him, signing Misaki to sit as well.

"So what brings you here, my old friend?" Kaname asked, still with that weird smirk on.

"I'm here to ask the same question, buddy." A very sarcastic Tsubasa said, wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulders out of habit.

"Oh... You wanna know what brought me here, eh? Simple! Your employer sent me here and guess he won't be surprised if I make him pay a visit to this same place after a little while too." The blonde guy replied nonchalantly, smirking at both Tsubasa and Misaki from time to time.

"Ah... It wasn't the answer I'd expected. By the way, if you want me to carry your warning to Natsume, all I can say is that, you made the wrong choice buddy! Listen... If there's no prize you're gonna win outta this battle, it's better to give up now than giving up later. Don't you think so?" Tsubasa asked, anxiety was slightly visible in his sarcastic tone.

Hearing what he had said, Kaname laughed his brains out before giving out his mocking remark.

"Hey, do you feel for me? You sound so serious..." Kaname said, trying hard to suppress his laughter. "And look, I'm not fighting a battle here, if that's what you wanna know. I'm just claiming... my _prize._" He added, looking serious this time, making Tsubasa shiver in horror.

"Claim what?" Misaki jumped into the middle as Tsubasa squeezed her hand, signing not to involve in this.

"My prize... What she's carrying around always... that's my prize."

Kaname said and Misaki's jaw dropped.

"Say what?" Tsubasa asked, not believing a word.

"I didn't know it myself until she told me today. If you have doubts, why not ask from her?" Kaname said out coolly before he stood up to receive his bill from the receptionist, smirking delightfully.

.

.

.

"Do you believe him?" Misaki asked, adjusting her seatbelt, trying hard to recover from the shock Kaname had given them.

"I don't want to. But I'm afraid he's telling the truth." Tsubasa said, shifting the gears, dreamily. Hearing what he had said, Misaki looked at him surprised, wanting a proper answer.

"You really think he's telling the truth? But Tsubasa... don't you remember what happened that night? What if Mikan doesn't remember anything from that night? She could be just imagining things!"

"But still... We can't be certain about that."

"Hey, c'mon! We saw it with our own eyes!" Misaki yelled, trying to confirm her thoughts.

"But we didn't see what happened the other night. With Kaname." Tsubasa said, his eyes focused on the ceaseless darkness of the road outside.

"So... What're we gonna do now?" Misaki asked in a defeated tone as Tsubasa sighed, anxiously.

"There's nothing we can do about this." Tsubasa said and took a deep breath before he made his mind to give out his final decision. "But until they solve this matter for themselves, we'll have to keep him from spreading the news."

* * *

"Sir... You've had enough. Will you please let us call your driver to take you home? You won't be able to drive in this condition."

"Tsk. No. I'm not done with... this shit." The bartender was pushed aside by the crimson eyed young man who was drinking alone at one dark corner of the bar, away from everyone.

He tasted all kinds of drinks that night. And searched for the most suitable one to kill his pain to find nothing but worsening grief. He remembered her radiant smile which he saw in the morning at his office, a basket of sushi in her subtle hands, and _his _beloved son in her womb. But now, God was challenging all his dreams, and that baby he had claimed to be his this far, was now, someone else's. He couldn't believe how everything had changed in just a few hours, making him feel like an outsider of this movie. The woman he called his wife this far, she had been holding hands with her high school lover in front of his eyes, saying it was his child she was carrying, as if she wanted him to receive them both. He couldn't believe that women could change their minds that fast. He couldn't believe she would betray him and run into someone else's arms out of the blue.

"Why won't she!" He yelled, clenching the glass in his hand, breaking it right on the spot, letting his blood mix with the stream of alcohol.

"Why won't she... betray me!" He questioned himself, staring at his blood oozing palm. His body was trembling at his own question. Although he couldn't imagine that she would betray him, he actually couldn't think of a reason for her _not_ to betray him as well. That was her past love after all. He remembered how she yearned to gain _his _love. And he... who was he? He was just a caretaker for her. Had she ever loved him? Or did she see him only as an option?

He cried at that thought. He was totally frustrated: his white long sleeved shirt messy with both sweat and fresh blood, his raven bangs plastered to his forehead by the oozing sweat.

He remained calm for a while though he was so high. With no more emotions, he happened to check his phone, unintentionally only to see twenty three missed calls from Ruka, six from Ibaragi, twelve from Naru and a single text message from, Imai, saying,

**"Mikan's missing." **

And that did it.

Natsume stood up straight, forgetting all his drowsiness. He reached for his keys, walked out of the bar, and within another few seconds he was miles away, driving his car.

* * *

**Hello there my loving readers! Hey I wanna kiss you all before I start my talk! Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmwaaah! :-* If that's how you guys send online kisses! Whatever!**

**I'm sooo glad you people are still there for me and you won't imagine how happy I am right now! **

**Umm... Actually... I feel like I can face anything now that I have you guys by my side! I really really love you all!**

**HaCel:- Thanks a bunch my love! No your review made me shed more tears, but this time, tears of joy!**

**iiAriya:- Omg! I missed you too hon! Thought you were so much disappointed! I'm sorry for the delay... Thanks a lot and need another review for this chapter! :-* **

**Guest 1:- Hey I'm doing great, especially after reading your review! Hehe Love you and want you to put your name on your other reviews so I could address you properly! :-***

**Guest 2:- Hey thanks a lot for feeling for me... Maybe you're right... I deserve more than him... Let's just hope so. Anyway, next time, please put your name on your review! Love ya! :-***

**jrenamae:- Thanks for waiting and oh will you believe me if I say it was your review (for the previous chapter) that made me update after a whole month of silence?**

**Anilissa:- I'll reveal that tomorrow! Thanks a bunch for waiting, reading and reviewing! Love ya! :-***

**Okay now... My 26th chapter is complete now and tomorrow I'll be updating the 27th and hopefully it'll be a full chapter (Most probably).**

**Umm and hopefully my affair is not still fully dead and I need your blessings for its survival!**

**Okay now... That's it for now and... please enjoy reading!**

**And I invite all my readers to review my story (If only you think it's worth reviewing) and if you think it's awesome (hopefully) just push the favorite button! Haha :-D**

**Then I'm off to bed.**

**You don't know how much I love you!**

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	27. The Crimson Revelation

***Please note that there were added new scenes in the previous chapter. If you've missed them by any chance, please reread the chapter and find out. Sorry for the inconvenience occurred! **

**Enjoy the story! **

**27\. The Crimson Revelation**

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The gates of the mansion house were wide open, welcoming the gloom from outside world like never before. The rain had started to pour, melting the shields of the grimy afternoon, adding some more effect to the ambience of grief, both inside and outside.

Guards, in their dull raincoats, were searching the surrounding area with their flashlights on, though their intention was not so clear, at least for themselves.

It had been hours since everyone had arrived at the mansion, trying to find some clue to start their investigations, when the guards spotted his fiercely moving vehicle, smashing through the open gates, making them jump out of the way, yearning for their lives.

The car stopped right before the main door, knocking down the porcelain statue of a maiden carrying a pot, smashing it into pieces. That smashing sound made the others come out, their eyes widened in terror.

He got down, making everyone gasp in horror. His bloodstained shirt, his messy raven hair and his burning crimson orbs were giving them shrieks undoubtedly. He stood there silent, staring at the crowd in front of his blood-red eyes, letting the rain kiss away his pain for a moment, until his best friend came forward, looking at him with a mixed feeling of fear and anxiety.

"Natsume..." The blonde guy mumbled, walking towards his frustrated best friend as if he was going to tame a wild boar.

"Where is she." Natsume asked, rain drops rolling down from his wet raven bangs to his gloomy face.

"Natsume... Where... were you?" Ruka asked, stammering, purposely skipping his question, as Natsume's tall figure crossed the distance between them, swiftly.

"Where is she." Out came from Natsume's pale purple lips, keeping his eyes focused on those of his terrified best friend's.

"We thought she was with you, Hyuuga." The never-shaken cold voice of Imai Hotaru spoke, out of the blue, coming out from nowhere, determined.

Hearing her speak, Natsume started to walk forward, frustrated than ever before. Pushing everyone away, he walked inside the house, and towards their new room downstairs. He felt his heart screaming when he banged open the door and walked in, only to find an empty room with no trace of her in it. Suddenly his knees started to wobble, reminding him that, for God's sake, he was drunk. But that wasn't the time to surrender. He couldn't let his drunken senses block his way at the moment. He felt his vision darkening and his senses starting to cheat on him as he kept on moving forward until he found her rose pink wardrobe. Weeping silently, he opened it, only to find nothing missing except for a bunch of new towels, she had kept happily till the day of her delivery and a few white sheets and flannels she had kept to wrap their baby. Seeing them missing, his heart started to stray around many conclusions. He didn't know what to think at the moment but he knew one thing clearly: he had no time to waste sorting things out.

Even through his dark drunken vision, he found his way out of the house again, making Ruka and Narumi follow him hurriedly.

"Natsume..." Ruka called out for him only to gain no response.

"Natsume-kun!" It was Narumi's voice.

"Don't follow me." Natsume replied, his hoarse voice competing that of frightening thunder.

"But Natsume-kun...! You can't go search for her like this! Let us do it for you!" A very worried Narumi spoke out, making Natsume turn his head to look at him, his crimson eyes piercing through the grimy rain.

"That... was my fault. I shouldn't have left her alone. I shouldn't have trusted anybody!" Natsume said, almost yelled out of anger, spitting out the words, shooting death glares at his frightened-to-death household staff.

"Go." A cold voice added to the air. "Go find her, Natsume." She continued as Natsume gave her an emotionless stare and got into his car, his eyes fixed on almost nothing.

As he drove off, half lost and half dead, the others kept silent until Ruka cleared his throat to find some words to fill the gap.

"Why did you let him go? He might kill himself on the road! He's not in a state to—"

"He's not in a state to stay back either." The raven haired girl said, her eyes fixed on the gleaming lights of the gloomy buildings outside the gates.

"But... I'm gonna go follow him." Ruka said hurriedly before he rushed towards his car, making Hotaru follow him without thinking twice.

.

.

.

He wiped his eyes a thousand times, to keep them focused. He didn't know where he was heading nor did he have a plan in his mind to follow in order to find her. Instead, he followed his instinct, or maybe he hoped his instinct would take him to her. So he drove, around the boundaries of the mansion first and then moved away from it. She had only one and a half months left for her delivery, and here she had gone missing, making Natsume imagine the worst possible reason of all.

After driving for another fifteen painful minutes, he reached the other bank of the Kamogamo; an area known for its serenity and of course for Japanese folk medicine. Natsume could remember how his mother used to pay casual visits to the place with him when she was bearing his sister, Aoi, and those huts from back then were still there in front of his eyes, serine but at the same time, mysterious.

With some trepidation, he got down from the vehicle and started to walk in the direction of one of the brightly lit huts. He didn't know what made him do that but there was no other choice for him as well. The rain was still pouring with the same intensity, drowning both his body and soul in its grimy waters.

"Hyuuga-sama?"

Natsume heard somebody calling his name.

"Huh?" He looked in the direction of the voice and found a pair of haggard eyes looking at his young crimson ones, surprised.

"Those eyes are remarkable... They can't hide their identity..."

The old lady spoke, her wrinkled face shaking with utmost bliss.

"I'm looking for my wife." Natsume said out of the blue, as if she had asked what he was looking for.

"I'm afraid _your_ baby's in danger." The old lady spoke in a mysterious tone, making Natsume's eyes go wild.

"Where is she?! Where's she now!" Natsume demanded as the old lady pointed her index finger at one dark hut which was built away from all the others.

"Thanks." Natsume said and was gone before she could open her wrinkled mouth to reply.

"Save _your _child, son."

She said and smiled in the direction he'd run off.

.

.

.

That part of the yard wasn't lit properly, making it difficult for Natsume to see through the ghostly trees which were short, stout and definitely, very old. The rain had started to pour like crazy, cold damp wind blowing at his already numb face. The hut that old lady had shown was shut tight so there was no meaning in breaking and entering. Natsume couldn't decide where to go until he heard a series of heavy breathing coming out from the backyard of the shabby little hut, making a shot of agony run through his spine. He ran in the direction of the sound, wiping his dripping wet face with his palm, clearing his vision.

She wasn't there.

He scraped his head with both of his hands, disappointed. Then walked forward, further into the woods, his heart screaming in pain.

**"Mikan!"**

He yelled at her sight.

He didn't know when he had reached her and taken her into a warm embrace, covering her from the piercing rain.

"Mikan..." He whispered, her shivering lips buried in his chest.

"For God's sake, what the hell are you doing here!" Natsume yelled, pressing her more into his body. He wasn't really accusing her, but he just couldn't hold down his voice. He was hurt. So was she.

She didn't reply, her voice suppressed by her extreme pain.

"Why aren't you talking!" Natsume asked again, pressing her head with his chin, kissing it from time to time.

"I... I killed..." She stammered, making Natsume look at her eyes, pushing her to face him.

"I killed _his_ baby!" She said it, tears oozing from her eyes, mixing with the rain drops. Hearing her saying that, Natsume's heart sank. He felt his world shattering into pieces as she spoke those words with the lips he used to kiss. It was only then he noticed her bloodstained white flowery dress, and that she was still, bleeding.

"Why on earth! What the hell have you done to _my boy!" _He yelled, his voice almost howling. Mikan had never seen him in such a distress. She actually had never seen him shedding tears, but that day, he didn't see the necessity to hide it anymore.

"Natsume..." Mikan cried, looking into his weeping crimson eyes, completely forgetting her pain.

"Natsume... It wasn't... It wasn't yours!" Mikan said, sobbing heavily.

"It was! I felt it! It was and you killed my son!" Natsume cried his lungs out, making Mikan's eyes widen.

"But... Natsume... All I wanted was your happiness!"

"What happiness are you talking about!"

"I didn't want to take a risk!"

"Then what do you call this? Ain't it a risk! It could've killed you!"

"I don't care about me."

"What?"

"I don't care about me anymore." She whispered, her pale face buried in his chest, whimpering painfully by now.

Hearing her words, Natsume stood up at once, lifting her in his arms, bridal style.

**"Well, I do!"**

He said before he started to walk forward, carrying his bleeding wife, hugging her safely to his chest, with his heart racing like crazy.

* * *

"Take her in! Take her in right now! She's ready for her labour!"

The spectacled doctor shouted out in a hurry, as the nurses made her sit on a wheelchair with her whining painfully.

"Mikan! Mikan!" She heard her husband calling out for her, his hoarse voice howling through the tall hospital roof.

"Please, Mr. Hyuuga... Stay here... They'll take care of her, don't worry!" A nurse spoke, blocking his way towards his wife.

"Out of my way, **tch!" He yelled, making the woman jump aside, clearing his way.

"Natsume! Natsume wait!"

He could hear his best friend's voice, making him stop in the midway. But seeing her being taken away through the corridor, he didn't have time to spare. So he ran after them, making his wife turn her head and smile at him, even through her ceaseless tears.

"Mikan..." He whispered, his eyes fixed on hers as she was taken in to the labour room. He stood there silent, tears rising uncontrollably in his crimson eyes, until she disappeared into that closed room.

"Natsume..." The blonde guy spoke, putting his hand on his best friend's shoulder, comforting him from behind. But nothing could comfort him now. Ruka knew that perfectly well.

Scraping his messy raven hair, Natsume sat on one of the chairs in front of the labour room, his eyes fixed on the door knob in front of them, dreamily.

The corridor in front of the labour room was crowded with four more heads, other than Natsume's: all looking gloomy and desolate. No one dared question what had happened. They all sank together in the icy silence instead.

Narumi looked at Ruka, gesturing him to go and sit beside Natsume, who was now, meditating with his crimson eyes tightly shut.

"He needs his time alone." Ruka whispered to Narumi, who looked surprised at his remark.

"Do you have any idea about what happened?" Narumi asked back in a whisper, making the raven haired girl who'd been standing next to him, lean on the wall, closing her eyes.

"She tried to destroy the baby." The girl said, keeping her eyes shut.

"Eh? Why the!" Both Naru and Ruka gasped in unison.

"And... It was all my fault!" The curly haired girl who was sitting at a far corner alone, spoke out of the blue, shivering in anxiety.

"Nobara-chan?" Narumi asked, shocked to death.

"Yes. I showed her the place. I took her there! But... but I never thought she'd..."

"Shut it now!"

Everyone shivered at the sound of Natsume's deep husky voice that rang through the corridor, putting an end to their conversations.

.

.

.

Forty minutes passed in silence.

Still no sign of life inside the labour room.

"Natsume! Ruka! What happened?" A blue haired guy asked, running into the scene hastily, with his wife by his side.

"She's taken into the labour room..." Ruka replied as the two intruders looked at each other's faces, shocked to death.

"This sudden? Her dates are months later, right?" A very worried Misaki asked, her eyes widened in horror.

But no one answered her question. Natsume didn't even bother to look at them. Everyone was busy praying for their loving friend, little sister, and wife.

All of a sudden, the door of the labour room opened, revealing a very solemn Imai Subaru, removing his gloves, gesturing Natsume to follow him to the office.

"She gave birth to your baby."

Subaru said, as Natsume's eyes widened in surprise.

"How is she?" He asked in a hurry, his eyes focused on those of Subaru's, stern and solemn.

"She's fine. But we can't be sure the baby will be." The physician spoke, pressing his spectacles between his eyes.

"I want to see them." Natsume said, or rather demanded, making Subaru's expression change to the worst.

"Premature birth." He continued, his voice deeper than ever. "It's been only thirty weeks approximately. He's taken into the neonatal intensive care unit. No you can't see them, just yet. Your baby will have to be kept here until the time he was due to be born. And that way, he'll have a better chance of survival." Subaru stopped, making Natsume scrape his head for the hundredth time of the day.

"Why did you have to take him out this sooner!" He yelled at Subaru's solemn face, his fingers forming a fist.

"Because your wife was bleeding. If we didn't take it out, you could've lost your wife." He replied nonchalantly, making Natsume lose his mind.

"I want to see her!" He yelled again, totally lost.

"You can see them both. But not now." Subaru said before he walked towards the door, leaving Natsume lost and disappointed.

"Natsume," Imai Subaru, who was about to walk out of the door, spoke again, making Natsume turn his head and look at him, tears rising in his crimson orbs.

"She fought well. She showed no sign of giving up. Maybe... _you_ could've been the reason." He said and gave out one of his very rare smiles, making Natsume feel at ease, even for a second.

* * *

"Natsume..."

"Hm..."

"Did you see him?"

The brunette who was lying in the hospital bed with her hands wrapped around those of her crimson eyed husband's, spoke softly.

"Yeah..." He replied, kissing her cold palms, making them warm.

"They say he's so small... Is he really?" She asked, her pale lips mumbling words with difficulty.

"Hmm..."

"Is he?"

"Yes..."

Hearing her husband, she sighed.

"Did you see his eyes?" She asked again. It looked as if she'd never got enough questioning about their baby.

"Yeah..."

"You did?" She asked, trying to raise her back, surprised.

"Yes..." Natsume answered, looking at her widened hazel orbs.

"What colour... are they?" She asked with some trepidation, fearing if she had asked the most awful question of all.

"Crimson."

"What?"

"You heard it."

"Natsume...?"

"He's my son."

A few silent seconds passed between them.

Neither of them wanted words to fill the gap. Though both were shocked, neither of them needed an explanation.

They didn't know how it happened, but wanted so bad to celebrate that new truth. Not knowing how to do it, they kissed each other, whispered their love to each other's ears, and snuggled in the hospital bed together, forgetting the pain that had been killing them until now.

* * *

**Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I feel great! ^_^ Finally! Finallyyyy! My story's getting closer to its "THE END"! Well... It's sad but I gotta put an end to this sooner or later, right? And mind you, I've been writing this fic for almost two years, (From 2014!) so gotta end this with the chapter to come! Well... It's not like I'm in a hurry to end this... But you see... the story's in a hurry... ;-)**

**I really enjoyed writing (typing or whatever!) these last two chapters! And hey! Don't worry, still there's one more chapter left to come out!**

**And that'll be the final chapter!**

**Sooo dudes! How are you feeling? Did I touch your hearts? At least through this chapter? Oh did I not? :'(**

**Okay! I need your support! (I mean, reviews!) Haha :-D**

**And hope I'll receive more and more reviews for this one, since it's the chapter prior to the finale! Oh please! I need new reviewers too! Along with my old friends! :-* **

**And please, if you like my story, just push the favorite button and I tell ya, it's worth a lot! :-***

**Okay now, **

**Hey is there anyone who missed the new scenes I added to the previous chapter? I hope all my readers read those parts before jumping to this chap. Or I'll feel guilty for editing it secretly! :'(**

**Okay now... straight to my sweet cute reviewers! :-***

**iiAriya &amp; HaCel, didn't you guys read the edited version of chapter 26? Didn't I tell you to recheck it? ;'( Oh... I'm really sad! :'( Btw... I miss you guys so much! Love ya! :-***

**And newroz my love, thanks a bunch for your PMs! I Love talking to someone in every possible minute! Especially to someone who'd listen to my craziness without any condition! Haha Love ya! :-***

**And Timey Wimey Detecter, you asked me why I'd hurt Mikan always,**

**Okay, and my answer is, "Nothing personal, buddy!" ;-) Thanks for reading and reviewing! Kisses! :-***

**And yeah, Katherine Kalissa Amara, you asked my age,**

**I'm 20! And my birthday's in November! (That's not needed eh?) :-D**

**And Anilissa, jrenamae and all my guest reviewers, THANK YOU SO MUCH for making me happy! :-* :-* :-***

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**7angel, Bird blu, Eka19, FrozenCrimsonCroissant, FutureStarAira7, HaCel, Katherine Kalissa Amara, .roses, MusicIsTheWorld, N.U. Sakura Yukihime, Pharenix101, Stephanie2796, animaJapanKpoplover, iiAriya, jrenamae, kuroyuki051700, nej24, newroz, paopao1127, pinkus-pyon, sakura183, shayne1531, vannaeraciavillanueva, and finally xMikanNatsumex!**

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**Maybe I write more in the author's notes than I write in my story! Haha... :-D **

**Okay now... I'll be back with my final episode and till then... Bye bye!**

**Take care and God bless you all! :-)**

**-Awful Nightmare-**


	28. Hidden Underneath

**28\. Hidden Underneath**

The morning sounds in my house... are... well, a little awkward, and, annoying?

Well...yes, annoying! Definitely.

But still, I've got used to them, and if they were not here anymore, I would definitely, miss them. That's how much attached I am to all this annoyance my little family...well, my little wife and—

"Natsume! Catch that hentai kid of yours! Just... just the same as you!"

Yeah. The morning sounds I was talking about. It's been always the same. Do I really like the way she stares at me now? Well... I dunno. Her hazel eyes dancing in anger, makes me wanna smirk, which I would always do of course, but it's not that what matters right now. I feel like kissing her fully on these tiny little rose peta— Okay now, I don't use metaphors.

"I can't find my shirt." I managed somehow not to kiss her in the midst of this crisis. But wait, was it what she had expected me to say?

"And I was talking about your kid."

"My kid and not yours?"

"As long as he keeps on doing things you did, he's your kid!"

Now now, I can smell something's not right.

"What is it today." My short questions with my annoyed look always worked. Maybe I really enjoy making her lose her temper.

"What is it today? Keep being like this Natsume!" Hell... She screams! But well, she's so damn cute when she screams. Okay now, something's not right with me today. Now she crosses the distance between us, coming closer and closer. Well, I can't take this anymore. Gotta kiss her right away.

"His principal called me a moment ago! This perv has lifted the skirt of an innocent girl!" Wait, is she crying?

"That's not a crime."

"Oh yeah! I shouldn't have told you even! Of course these things happen and, and they are totally natural!" She is sobbing, her hands clasped on her heaving chest. Why would she have to take these things too seriously? I don't understand. But well... my son really is a perv. Now I admit it.

"You want me to talk to the principal?" I asked, finally with the responsibilities of a father.

"No. He'd listen to anything you say 'cause he's scared of you. That's why he'd always call me whenever this brat does something stupid! All the world blames me 'cause they're scared of you!" Now she's shouting her lungs out, tears filling her big round eyes. I hate it when she sheds tears; I have to admit.

"I'll talk to him."

"You have to!" She pressed the words on my chest, staring determinedly at my eyes. She knows he'd listen to me, only to me.

"Now gimme my shirt." I asked as soon as she woke up from her nightmare. Her hard moments don't last long. She recovers very fast, putting on that sunny smile of hers again; the smile I... love the most.

"Gimme two minutes! I'll have it ready!" Mrs. Hyuuga said with a sudden cheerful smile, but well, I know she's gonna take more than half an hour to get it ready. But well... I'm happy that I'll be able to leave for work at least in another forty minutes. This is my fate. Blessings of marriage. A cute careless wife I have. Every day she holds something new, for which I would fall again and again.

* * *

"Why's he late tonight?"

The woman with the kind crimson eyes asked, staring at her very worried daughter-in-law who was standing there beside the dining table with her eyes stuck in some distance object high up the wall.

"I don't know... Momma..."

"Didn't you try calling him?"

"I did. I always do before supper. But he's not picking it up. That's what scares me..." The twenty-five-year-old Mrs. Hyuuga said without staring back at her mother-in-law.

"Is Yo-chan asleep?" Kaoru Hyuuga asked, finishing up eating earlier than expected.

"Yeah..." Mikan answered blankly as Kaoru stood up, smiling as if she'd remembered of something cheerful out of the blue.

"That little thing got away for today then. Natsume didn't get to speak to him about that yet, eh?"

"No." Mikan answered somberly, leaning on the wall behind her.

"Did you guys fight in the morning?"

"Who?"

"You two."

"No... It's just that I asked him to come home early this evening... 'cause I wanted him to speak to Youichi. But here, he doesn't even picking up his phone!" Mikan talked with desperation, her chest heaving for every word she said.

"He might be in a meeting. Don't worry baby... He'll be home any minute..." Kaoru said as she approached Mikan, smiling gently.

"I called Ruka-pyon. There's no such meeting. Natsume's been missing from the office from three o' clock in the afternoon." Mikan mumbled with agitation as Kaoru put her hands around her shoulders, softening her fears.

"Baby, look, do you suspect my Natsume?" Kaoru asked with the same tone of compassion in her voice, though she too was scared herself about her son's safety.

"No momma! No! Never! I trust him more than I do myself! I'm just... I'm just scared if something's gone—"

"No don't even think like that... Mikan... We both know our Natsume's so strong... We shouldn't worry one bit! Go have something to eat and sleep... Natsume must be on his way home..." Kaoru said determinedly, transferring her courage to Mikan as well.

"Yeah I know momma... I'll wait for a few more minutes and sleep okay? Don't worry... I ate much with Youichi for lunch!" Mikan said finally with some cheerfulness in her voice.

As soon as Kaoru left the room, Mikan walked outside the house, still with the same dreamy look in her shivering hazel orbs. She kept on walking under the starry night sky, until she felt that familiar feeling of the creamy sand of the Kamogamo riverbank under her feet. He had a habit of coming here and sitting on the wet sand, waiting for her to come searching for him and get annoyed. Mikan knew he enjoyed being annoyed by her meaningless talk.

Thinking of those, a faint smile covered her face, unknowingly.

"Where are you Natsume..." She whispered as she looked up at the sky, dreamily.

"Where are you... I... I have something to tell you..." She said out her feelings softly as her rosy cheeks blushed crimson for a moment.

* * *

It is said that there's a reason for everything.

It might be true, but in their case, they didn't want to know the reason. They had been suppressing the need to know the truth, or how it happened, for five long years. Maybe they were more than happy with the outcome, so that they didn't care about the reason. But sometimes, that so-called reason bumps into us in the most unwanted moment.

Those moments of impact, sometimes turn things upside down. But sometimes they don't really make any effect. It depends on how strong our bonds are, and how confident we're in what we're doing.

That night of revelations.

They hadn't expected it to visit them out of the blue.

Natsume didn't know what to tell her. He wasn't even sure if he was gonna tell anything to her at all. Even the sound of the opening gates of his mansion house seemed to have irritated him at the moment. He didn't see the gestures of the bowing guards, he didn't hear them greet him good evening or he didn't even feel his own feet.

The mansion was drowning itself in the darkness. To Natsume, the house seemed bigger than before.

As he stepped forward, his confidence to see her face sank lower and lower. He wasn't sure what her response would be to what he was going to tell her. Not many men stand a chance to rape their own wives before marriage, intoxicated by some enemy of theirs. Not many men forget the first time they made love to a woman. And not many men marry the women who bear their own children, thinking someone else must've made them pregnant.

Natsume laughed at him from within his mind. Seeing his son's crimson eyes, even before seeing them maybe, Natsume could swear that that child was his own. He could feel it from within his soul, but he'd never wished to learn how it all happened, and had never wished it all to happen this way. But now there was no doubt about what had happened. He had proof, more reliable than the mere words of his rival, which revealed that it was his own crime that made her give up all her maiden dreams and throw herself into the burden of marriage. That sin could never be forgiven. He knew that, but still there was one fact defending his behavior; he was drugged.

"That bastard!" He couldn't help muttering, his fingers forming a fist.

He didn't know when he had walked inside his room. He didn't know how long he had been staring at their peacefully sleeping figures.

He wished he knew nothing, nothing about what had happened.

Counting his steps, Natsume walked forward in the silence of the darkness until he reached her sleepy face, not daring to make any sound. She was asleep, not knowing anything, innocent as a flower that had just bloomed. Natsume watched as she unconsciously tightened the grip of her arms she had around their son's little sleeping figure. He remembered how he had longed to join them in bed after a long day spent at work, and how eagerly Mikan had always taken him in to her arms, hugging him to her soft bosom even if he smelled of sweat. But that night, he didn't even feel like sitting on that bed; the bed in which he had his own people sleeping: his own wife and his _own _son.

He knelt down beside them in the dark, watching them breathe soundly. In a minute it all started to flash through his eyes; the things he had wished he could forget. He could remember each and every word those three people had said, each and every moment that had passed between now and then, and each and every sigh he had tried to keep to himself without letting out. Natsume shut his eyes, trying to keep those words and scenes that boiled inside his mind only to himself, as if Mikan would see them through his burning crimson coals.

_"She came all by herself... though we hadn't invited her, 'cause it was a drinking party... You know... Natsume... It seemed...Uh... She wanted to see... well...you know... that person."_

_"Tsubasa and I arrived at the place very late. We didn't know Mikan was there until we were told by our friends that there was a fight between you and Kaname and that you had almost killed him."_

_"Misaki and I looked for you two everywhere, and finally...we were told by room service that...Natsume...that you had taken her to a room upstairs."_

_"Both of you were not in a state to understand anything in the world. So I took Mikan with me and took her to my place right away. And when she woke up, I had to lie, 'cause I was sure she won't have appreciated the truth." _

_"And Natsume... I had to... pay the hotel staff to keep their mouths shut and well... had to replace Mikan with one of our friends... to cover up the truth when you woke up... We... we're so sorry Natsume... We thought it was the best thing we could do at the moment."_

_"We knew it was all his plan. Kaname did that on purpose. He wanted to destroy Mikan's life, using you, Natsume. He must've drugged both of you. We don't know how he managed to do that anyway."_

_"You can't blame yourself. Any man would've done the same thing if he were in the state you were in."_

_"You two danced and I pulled the strings. Huh... My puppets! Lived half of your lives being my puppets! Especially you... The mighty Natsume Hyuuga! Huh! Want more drama?"_

His words played inside Natsume's mind as his blood boiled for the hundredth time of the day. He had repaid him well, anyway, by breaking all his thirty two teeth, but still he hadn't had enough. Natsume gritted his teeth as he muttered the word "puppet", unconsciously.

He didn't know it had been loud enough to make her come back to consciousness.

"Natsu... Natsume..."

He heard her say, trying to raise her back in the dark.

"Go back to sleep." He whispered in his hoarse voice, trying hard to hide his guilty eyes from her innocent gaze.

"So you're finally home..." Mikan whispered sleepily, her hazel orbs half closed. Natsume could see her sleepy smile, which he had admitted to be sexy, except that night. That night, he felt as if it had been accusing him, for being the _puppet _of some devil and ruining her life. He gasped at that thought, making Mikan's sleepy instincts detect that something wasn't right.

"Natsume... What took you so long?" She asked softly as she reached for his face, covered with raven bangs and caressed it the way she always did. These gestures of hers, seemed too painful to him that night.

"I had some work downtown."

"What type of work?"

"Business"

She had to stop her inquiry there, but something caught her eye and it shocked her peaceful mind: a scratch. She gathered some more proof before erupting; more scratches!

"Na—Natsume! What— what are those? What happened? You're hurt! You smell of blood!"

Hearing those words, Natsume's heart skipped a beat. His secret was a secret no more. That was his time to explain.

But he didn't speak.

"Natsume! What happened? For God's sake, what happened?" She cried her lungs out, forgetting all about their child.

"Mom... Mommy..." Little Youichi was rubbing his little ruby eyes, feeling for his mother beside him. But Mikan was not in a state to care for what was going on in the darkness of that room. She was obsessed with her feelings for Natsume at the moment. But Natsume was conscious enough to take his little son into his arms and put him back to sleep in the warmth of his embrace.

Mikan watched him with her mouth shut tight, her eyes in tears.

In that icy silence, Natsume put their son back between the sheets and took his wife's arm in a flash, making her jump off the bed and follow him down the stairs, silently.

In a few solemn moments, they were there standing on the creamy wetness of the Kamogamo, with the rustle of its waters being their only listener.

She was staring at the gloominess of his crimson orbs with hers nearing to shower the earth.

Natsume had resolved to reveal it all; 'cause she had the right to know.

"It was me."

He said out finally, breaking the silence of five long years.

Hearing what he had said, Mikan went dumb.

"Natsume, what— what are you talking about?" She asked as she moved closer to him, dazed.

"I said _it_ was me!"

"It was you, what?" She asked as she stood there in front of him, looking directly at his blazing crimson fire.

"The one who ruined your life!" He shouted out loud, looking back at her confused hazel orbs, his manly hoarse voice shaking a little.

Two or three silent seconds passed between them. After a short pause of staring at each other, Natsume looked away before Mikan gathered some words to fill the gap.

Maybe Natsume had expected Mikan to spit at his face but instead, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, making Natsume gasp in total surprise. That was the last thing he had expected.

Seeing his widened crimson eyes, Mikan couldn't help but smile through her tears.

"And what difference would it make?"

She asked, smiling gently as Natsume looked questioningly at her face.

"You don't care?"

"Seriously, I don't!" Mikan said cheerfully, punching on Natsume's chest playfully.

"How could you act so cheerful after hearing what I said!"

"I can! 'Cause I knew it already!" She smiled again, much to Natsume's dismay.

"You knew?"

"Yeah... I've been seeing it in my dreams and... After your son came to my hands he told me the story... and... I figured it out, alone!" She said, her eyes dancing in the happiness of a distance memory. "And... I didn't have to fight with anyone, like you did today?" She continued, moving her eyes from her husband's newly made scars and bruises to his eyes, mockingly.

"You knew it all and didn't tell me."

"Yup."

"Women are so unpredictable." Natsume gave out his conclusion before sitting down on a large root that emerged from the ground, sighing in disbelief.

Seeing his worried expression, Mikan drew closer to him again and sat down beside him, resting her hand on his thigh.

"What's troubling you... umm?" She asked as she rested her head on his shoulder, making him look away some more.

"You could've lived your life." Natsume said, not wanting to look at her eyes.

"I lived my life... I couldn't have been happier than this..." She said in the softest voice of hers, clasping her husband's arm as tight as she could as if she never wanted to let go.

"I could've wasted my whole life... not knowing what I deserve... if it wasn't for that thing..." She continued as Natsume, finally turned his head to look at her, surprised. He could feel the honesty in her voice. He had no doubt about what she had meant by her soft words. She loved him. He was certain, now.

He kissed her hair, softly, not as a reward, but to express that strong feeling of love that had been brewing inside his veins.

After another awkward pause, she looked at him playfully, trying hard to keep herself from blushing.

"So that was it?" She asked while being busy rubbing her thumb over the scratches on his face as Natsume watched her in patience.

"Hn." He said, uninterested.

"Umm... I guess... I got more exciting news for you!" She said as she stood up suddenly, making Natsume stand up as well.

Hearing what she had said, Natsume's eyes widened for the hundredth time, shocked.

"Don't look at me as if I were a ghost! Gimme your hand!" She said out in happiness, blushing a little before taking his hand in hers and guiding it to the place where she wanted it to be; her belly. Feeling this, Natsume gasped in surprise, not knowing what to say.

"What?" He asked, his eyes dangling in their caves.

"Yup!" She said, pearly tears forming in her happy eyes.

Natsume stood there silent for a minute or two, before he lifted her in his arms. The rustles of the river were totally suppressed by her giggles. The stars in the sky were blinded by the gleam of his eyes. The whole nature was supporting their romance. The whole ambiance was giving way to their love story; the story of two hearts which kept all the secrets to themselves, for the sake of love and respect they had for each other. They were experts of love, they covered up for each other, and they kept up with each other's flaws, because they accepted their fate and had faith in each other's soul. The words were _hidden_, but the feelings were exposed.

**-The End- **

* * *

**Yeah people! I'm back and yeah, it's 'THE END' of this story! I dunno how you felt at the end. I know many of you had questions as to how it all happened, and here I've given some sort of explanation, but I'm sure you guys are not quite happy with it. But you know... it all happened on a day when you and I were not there watching. Heheee :-D No, I'm serious! I didn't include that part in my story, but I kept on giving you clues from the beginning, if you could remember, and that was some technique I wanted to experiment. I sound like philosopher, don't I? :-D Anyway, hope you all loved the story, and of course the ending part as well... **

**And I know I must've lost many of my readers, 'cause I took so long to update, but you know people I had my Advanced Level exams going on throughout last month so I couldn't even think about typing the story. And of course, I didn't want to type the last chapter in a rush, or I could've made it worse. ;-)**

**So I waited... I know you did too... I just hope you guys will see my update, even by chance... ^_^**

**And here, I've got soooooo many reviews from all around the world! I'm so excited people! But I need more! And more! And more! :-D**

**You know I love reviews, and need all you guys to drop a review, be it good or bad! And please please forgive me for taking soooo long! But here, I've completed the whole thing! :-)**

**And now I'm moving to my reviewers!**

**newroz, iiAriya, HaCel and Katherine Kalissa Amara thanks for being more than just readers! :'( Almost all you guys tried to contact me outside the story and asked me if I was doing good... Thanks babes... I missed you guys so much and hope you guys will read this final chapter and drop me more and more heartwarming reviews! :-* And tell me if you guys want me to start on writing another story! ^_^ Love you guys! Totally! 3**

**And all my other reviewers, including Gest reviewers and my latest reviewer KaTkat942, love you all... And I owe you guys so much! And yeah... I'll update my author's notes after you read this final chapter, and here I'm typing in a rush 'cause I really wanna update this chapter ASAP! Hehe...**

**So here... Awful Nightmare is gonna sleep... **

**Hope to meet you through a new work of mine! **

**Another NatsuMikan story?**

**Hehe I have some ideas... We'll see if I'd be able to put them into words!**

**So this really is THE END people!**

**Just remember that, I love you all! **

**Thanks for your undying support! **

**And sorry for taking so long!**

**Bye bye...**

**With love,**

**-Awful Nightmare-**


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